


In Black Ink My Love May Still Shine Bright

by ShirlyGallagher



Series: What's Past is Prologue [4]
Category: Archie Comics, Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cheerleaders, Childhood Friends, Confessions, Diary/Journal, Dorks in Love, Dress Up, F/M, Fantasizing, Fantasy Fulfillment, Flashbacks, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Guilty Pleasures, Honesty, Kissing, Love, Medium Burn, OTP Feels, Poetry, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Romantic Friendship, Sexual Fantasy, Smutty, Surprises, Trust, Valentine's Day, Winter, Writers, Young Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-25
Updated: 2017-11-04
Packaged: 2019-01-05 05:58:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12184272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShirlyGallagher/pseuds/ShirlyGallagher
Summary: Love's stories written in love's richest books...-Betty and Jughead celebrate Valentine's day with the things they do best...~~~





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ~~~
> 
> Be Brave!
> 
> Leave me a comment and let me know what you think, l love hearing your feelings!
> 
> ~~~

It was a week after Valentine's day, and as discussed, Betty and Jughead decided not to celebrate in the conventional sense. Rather, they exchanged boxes of their old journals instead of exchanging gifts and treated the day like any other.

Betty had burned through reading nearly 30 of the worn books in just 3 nights, revisiting her favourite entries over and over again since. She found that all of Jughead's journals were small, well-worn and pocket-sized and that he likely carried them around with him everywhere, even as a kid. 

His childhood pages were filled with tall tales of imagined kingdoms and epic battles. In his youth, the pages were full of angst and heartache, and this theme continued into his teens, as his writing and penmanship improved with every turn of the page. 

Betty was surprised at how little got past even young Jughead. He was indeed perceptive and wise beyond his years, and his private pages proved that. Darkness still crept in the sides of his entries but most were still of a melancholy and observant nature. She saw what Jughead meant by being poetic when it counted, and in his writing, he was smooth, direct and thought-provoking. Though she knew from his work at the Blue and Gold that he was talented, the intimate entries of his journal exposed a side to his writing that was truly captivating. 

It was clear, as she continued to read, that he had never intended for anyone to ever read these secret pages, filling them with extremely candid words on almost every topic. Betty's heart burst at the trust he had laid in her hands, and she knew that having your most intimate self, laid bare and exposed was not a welcome feeling. But he gave her what she wanted, no questions asked. 

She, however, did need a bit of gentle convincing. Betty knew full well that it was only fair for him to ask for her journals if she was asking for his. Although she assumed that if anyone were to read her private thoughts, they would surely think she was crazy. The less anticipated happened and in true Jughead style, he found a way to love her more, sending her quick encouraging messages when he got to certain points of interest between the pages.

Jughead's most recent journals were extremely illuminating. He spoke of his fall out with Archie, his family struggles, and his mom leaving, but mostly her. About little things like the day she asked him to work for the Blue and Gold. The simple and quick entry showcasing a vulnerability she hadn't realized was there at the time.

  


~  
'Betty asked me to write for the Blue and Gold. Not sure that its the best place for my voice but I trust her, and anything I can do to be close to her again. Maybe some of her bravery will rub off on me...'  
~

  


The investigator and calligrapher in Betty noticed the small details of his lettering, that his distinct handwriting scrolled in black ink wrote the 'B' in her name bigger than any of the other letters, just how he signed his own name. She also discovered that little pattern found its way into no other words. 

Jughead wrote of her like a poet writes of his muse, and for far longer than he had led her to believe. His love for her developed over a great length of time, and not over the short summer period that he had implied to her at Pop's. She would agree that his love intensified to the point of him bursting over the past few years, but his adoration for her had always been there. He had been loving her since grade school since before either of them knew what romantic love truly meant and back when he still thought that girls were way more drama then he was willing to put up with. 

Still, he spoke of her like she hung the moon, and as though she could do no wrong. And even when she did, he found a way to further accept her. But never once, in any entry, did he call her perfect. He admired her and her loyalty, held her opinion in high regard, and subconsciously compared all others to her. She truly was his one and only, and the exception to his rules.

As Betty continued reading she realized further that Jughead deserved so more than this world had given him. And that his happiness was just as important as her own, a realization that had consumed her thoughts since he had whisked her away to their cabin on the lake in Midvale.

Though things in his life seemed to be going smoothly, Betty wanted to show him that her appreciation for him ran deep, that she listened, and that she understood. She wanted to show him, through this token or moment that though her passionate love for him was new and young, it was still deep and unwavering. 

Just as he had done for her earlier that winter, she wanted her own grand gesture, a tangible showing of her reverence and devotion.

Betty pulled the car into the empty spot in front of the Jones' trailer. She checked her features in the rearview mirror, tucking back her winter fly away' as she killed the engine, and stepped out into the cold. 

She took the stairs to the front door, tightened her ponytail and knocked loudly. She heard HotDog alert Jughead that someone was at the door, hearing him mumble something to the mutt before swinging the door open. 

"Betty? Hi!" Jughead answered the door with a surprised smile, clad in his 'relaxed Jughead' uniform of dark sweats, his gray 'S' tshirt and plush socks. He looked at ease and comfortable, his hair looking freshly washed and poking out in every direction under his beanie.

"-How did you get here?"

"I stole Alice's car"

His light features faded quickly to worry "Why? Are you ok?"

"Absolutely, I, um...I wanted to see you, and read you something..."

Betty quickly fumbled one of his journals out of her jacket pocket and flipped to one of the many dog-eared pages of his familiar book to read out loud:

~  
'Betty made the cheerleading squad today...Fuck me...

I saw her and the new girl walking outside the gym in their uniforms, the wind ruffling Betty's pleated skirt up her thighs, and tossing her ponytail behind her. ...Fuck my life...

She's a RiverVixen now, I mean, really?! Get ahold of yourself, dude...

She looks so tragically good in that uniform though. How can someone so beautiful make someone think such perverse things? I mean, the skirt alone is enough to drive a man crazy, but the whole package really stirred something in me today. 

I am not one to fall prey to a 'Basic Bro' cheerleader fantasy either, but...Betty...it's Betty...

So call me basic, call me typical, call me what you will, I accept. I should be ridiculed for thinking these perverted things about my beautiful friend. But friends don't think about friends the way I've been thinking about Betty, do they...

We haven't really talked in so long, I hope she still calls me her friend...

Anyway, all that being said, I know I've said this three times before, but this is the year.  
This is the year I come clean.  
This is the year I tell her how I feel, and how I've always felt.  
This is the year I face horrible, soul-crushing rejection. 

This is the year I risk losing her as a friend, possibly forever.

But life is a risk...or some other cliche saying like that...

Yours in impending doom,  
Jughead, basic bro.'  
~

Betty finished, looking up from his pages with soft eyes and a gentle smile.

"Well, that's embarrassing..." Jughead commented dropping his head a bit, his hand running nervously to the back of his neck.

"I don't think so. But, how you've always felt? Juggie, why didn't you tell me sooner!?"

"How many times have you read this one?" Jughead asked swiftly, tapping his finger against his journal that she had pressed to her breastbone.

"A lot. I mean, it's the most recent one..." Betty confessed, allowing him to change the subject. Jughead not expressing himself sooner or the fact of poor timing was not why she was there. 

"-Are you going to invite me in?" She asked sweetly.

Betty was there with a purpose. She had been planning this surprise since she first read the entry, wanting the perfect opportunity. But Betty was learning quickly that plans change, and that life happens all around you while you're busy making plans. Instead, she had adopted a new philosophy as of late, a 'carpe diem' way of thinking. And she was determined to strike while the iron was hot. 

So today, directly after her student council meeting, she went home, got changed and stole Alice's car. She knew that FP worked late on Tuesdays in Greendale, leaving Jughead home alone, without a vehicle, likely welcoming the solitude. The possibility of parental interruption was minimal, which had also driven her to decide that tonight, was the night.

Now she stood on the Jones' stoop, in her long winter coat, bare legs shivering as she waited for Jughead to gather his thoughts and invite her inside.

"Shit! Yes! Come in," He rushed, grabbing her free hand and pulled her into his warm home. 

Jughead closed the door behind her as HotDog galloped happily towards Betty, leaning all his body weight into her legs, his tail frantically waving. 

"HotDog! How's my best dog friend?!" Betty greeted the panting canine with a rush of affection before kicking her boots off.

Gladys and JB were moving back to Riverdale when school let out for spring break, but since Christmas, JB had come home for a weekend visit, surprising Jughead with HotDog at the airport, jokingly leaving him behind as "collateral". 

But Jughead knew better, he knew what Jelly was determined to move home, and leaving valuables behind helped ensure she would be back. He wasn't complaining though, having mans best friend back by his side just felt right.

"I swear he likes you best," Jughead said affectionately, watching Betty scratch behind the sheepdog's ears, making his big brown eyes droopy with love.

"He just knows I have a soft spot for him" Betty replied.

Absorbed in Betty and HotDog's greeting Jughead spoke again: "I think the feeling is mutual." 

Betty looked up with a smile, fully picking up on the double meaning of his statement.

"-Are you hungry?" He asked moving into the kitchen, nodding for her to follow. HotDog happily joined them, before curling up under the table.

"No" She stated simply. 

Jughead went to the fridge anyway, hovering over the open door for a moment before grabbing a soda. 

Betty noticed how quiet it was in the warm space. Though SunnySide was on the far end of the SouthSide, and most people still called it the 'slums' it was far quieter than any of the suburban neighborhoods of Northern Riverdale, with its property line backing up onto a long stretch of SweetWater rivers' heavily forested shoreline, and Eversgreen Forest. 

As kids, they would ride bikes through the trees, play hide and seek or hang out in Jughead's secret tree house. She remembers being reluctantly allowed entrance to their new fort after Archie threw a 'no girls allowed' fit. 

~~~  
"You can't tell anyone about where I'm taking you"

"Ok, Where's Arch?"

"He's already there" He explained before hopping onto his bike again.

Jughead had approached Betty at Pickens' Park early that fall afternoon, babbling about the best thing to ever happen to him. He was cryptic, and vague with details on the best of days but still wanted to show her, and Betty was always up for an adventure.

"So, where are we going?" She asked pulling her hoodie on and getting onto her bike.

"I cant tell, you'll have to trust me"

The 2 rode their bikes to the far side of town, and took the trailhead just past SunnySide, blowing past the tree-lined river and turning deep into the forest. Jughead looked back to see Betty keeping up an easy pace before he took a sharp left into a small clearing. He then stopped abruptly, and Betty followed suit before Jughead ditched his bike into the leaves and waited for her to do the same. As Betty did, Jughead nodded over his shoulder. She followed her tall friend into the brush, ducking under a branch that he held back for her. 

As she straightened, the structure above them caught her eye: A small octagon shaped raggedy old tree house built up on top of a platform, about 7 feet up. It was missing floorboards, windows, shingles, and doors, but still, any young boys dream opportunity, their very own fortress of solitude.

Archie's red hair popped out of a rickety window, scowling at the pair below.

"We said no girls!" Archie exclaimed.

Jughead nervously looked to Betty who's features were wrinkled in disgust. 

"That rule only applies to the girls you want to invite!" He yelled back.

"She's still a girl!"

"So?!" Betty scowled.

"Boys only!"

She really hated being left out because of her gender. Archie tried to pull that line more often than she liked and a lot more recently. Since his 10th birthday party, he'd been making the difference between them clear. 

Gone were the days of his full acceptance of her, and lately, it seemed like he was pushing her away, and pulling her back in, only when he needed her.

Archie really had been neglecting their friendship lately, often bailing on plans, or finding a way to make sure that whatever adventure he and Jughead were up to couldn't include her. 

Which she found stupid because Jughead was all but willing to include her. Archie would then claim to need 'bro time' and Jughead would confess to her later that it was because he wanted to hang out with girls like Cheryl and Ginger. Or at least have the possibility of hanging out with girls like that and Betty being around made that awkward.

But then Archie would show up on her doorstep the next day wanting to walk with her to school, gushing about what a good friend she was, how no one listened like she did, before launching into the issue he needed her help and advice on.

Saying that this back and forth was confusing would be an understatement, but her naive self-didn't dwell to desperately on the negatives, happy to needed in any sense.

"I had to show her, Arch! It's too cool not to share!"

"Fine. You can't tell anyone though!" Archie scolded Betty.

"I never would!" She exclaimed with a huff.

Jughead rocked back on his heels, before bouncing on the balls of his feet slightly, looking over to Betty and her annoyed body language. 

"I found it a few days ago, my dad said that some neighbourhood kids helped each other build it years ago" He explained.

Jughead's acceptance of her, on the other hand, rarely faltered. His demeanor was always steady and true, unwavering and steadfast. Mysterious, quiet and defiantly not forthcoming with any details, but always accepting and including of her. Which she appreciated, even if her young self couldn't come up with the words to thank him. She knew that was just how he was, that his acceptance was just part of what made him Jughead.

"Is it safe?" She asked.

"I don't know? Archie's fat ass is up there and it seems to be holding. Trust me?"

"I do."

"I'll go up first, Arch and I both up there earlier and it didn't feel too sketchy"

She watched Jughead's long limbs climb up the makeshift ladder with ease, ducking into the small doorway above. He turned his attention back down to her as she copied his climb and hoisted herself into the tree house.

Betty adjusted to the dimmer surroundings and it was clear that the boys had spent most of the day 'setting up shop' 

They had lugged 2 old lawn chairs, a cooler, and a half-empty beanbag chair into the space for lounging. To the side, there was a box with a couple flashlights, random games, comics and books stored inside. Cobwebs, leaves, and dirt gathered in the corners and the cold fall wind whipped through the slats in the siding.

"We could really fix this place up" Betty suggested.

"No, we aren't playing house," Archie said sharply.

"I didn't mean it like that. But we could at least fix the roof so you guys could hang out in here when it rains" She replied, feeling annoyed, slightly defeated and suddenly very unwelcome.

"I'm sure Fred has some old shingles laying around, we could ask? It would be cool to have this place for when it rains." Jughead said smoothly, defusing the tension almost completely.

"That's true, Jug. Alright, I'll ask him at dinner."

"In the meantime," Jughead stood, still slightly hunched as he emptied his pants pockets, spilling fruit-roll ups, granola bars, and cookies out onto the lumpy beanbag chair. He did the same with his sweater, which proved to be a larger than expected stowaway zone.

"You guys have it all figured out! This is so great! My dad had to take down our tire-swing when they trimmed the tree in our backyard, we should bring it out here!"

"That's a great idea, Betts!" Jughead gushed.

"Our own slice of paradise" Archie agreed.  
~~~

Snapping out of her reverie Betty looked down the adjacent hallway, seeing the soft light of his bedroom pouring out, his music flooding from the open door, cutting into the silence of the cold February night.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" She asked, suddenly feeling nervous, for no good reason. She trusted him wholeheartedly, and she knew, even more so now, that he trusted her above all others. But her nerves quickly faded when he caught her gaze, his features softening as he shook his head.

"Not at all, I was just reading" He answered, popping the drink open and taking a long gulp.

"Anything interesting?" She asked stepping towards him.

"Very, this truly amazing human allowed me to read her private journals."

"Oh really?"

"Really, it's been very enlightening"

"That's interesting. I too have been privy to some enlightening details, that's kinda why I'm here"

"I figured when you showed up on my doorstep, reciting my journal aloud..." He winked


	2. Chapter 2

Betty was sure that Jughead could hear her rapid heartbeat, as she tried desperately to play it cool. She swallowed thickly, feeling her hands clam up, her breathing catching mid-breath.

This was it, this was her moment. And now, that she was breaths from acting out the plan she had cultivated in her mind, she borderline chickened out. She quite literally had nothing to be nervous about, this was Jughead. Loving, accepting, and unwavering Jughead. 

But she had never done anything like this before, and she had never, ever, put herself on display like this. There was that terrible night with Veronica and Chuck, but what she wore was more a disguise, of sorts. Though that outfit had made her feel powerful at the time, it left her with a sickly defeated feeling. A feeling that she knew would not accompany this experience. 

But Betty quickly shook her uneasiness, remembering where she was, why she was there and lastly, who she was with. She took a quiet deep breath, trying to conceal her hot nerves as she slowly unzipped her coat. The soft down of her jacket split down the center, letting the iconic yellow and blue of her cheerleading uniform shine through like a beacon.

The sound of Jughead's breath catching in his throat was audible, as she reached the bottom of her winter threads. It was fucking February, and he knew damn well she had no business being dressed in that uniform. The RiverVixens took the winter season off, resuming practices in late March, so the only reason she would be in that outfit: would be for him. 

The tantalizing thought dawned on him as he watched Betty's delicate fingers run back up the open zipper of her jacket, before pulling the collar open. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow, and a wicked smile tugging at her pink lips. The gesture sent shivers down his spine and pooled warmth deep in the pit of his stomach. 

"Betts?..."

"Juggie..."

"What are you doing?"

"Making a fantasy a reality" She stated smartly, shrugging her coat off and tossing it onto the back of the kitchen chair.

"You're kidding," He mumbled quietly, mostly to himself, his eyes glued to the large 'R' in the center of her chest.

"Do I look like I'm kidding?" She asked, pulling at the hem of her top, and smoothing out the pleats of her short skirt before tightening her ponytail again: a tragically 'Betty Cooper' nervous tick. 

"No..." He mumbled. "But I...I did not expect this..."

"So, Jug. What do you want to do to your RiverVixen Betty?" She asked seductively with a sly shrug.

Jughead tore his eyes away from her chest to catch her gaze, his eyes wide. He shook his head slightly, his mouth opening to speak, clearly searching for the words, but his voice failing him.

"Jesus Betts...I'm...Fuck...I don't know. Anything! Everything?! I mean...Honestly, I...I...never really thought I'd get the chance..."

Betty looked at him sympathetically "Jug..." She whispered in disbelief.

"I'm serious."

"You have the chance." Betty stated firmly.

Jughead stood silently still, completely feeling the weight of her words. 

Betty Cooper loved him, she cared for and understood him in a way no one else could or ever had, and now she was standing in his kitchen, in her cheerleading uniform, offering to fulfill one of his secret fantasies.

However, fantasizing about someone and having them right there in the flesh, waiting for you to grow a pair, were two extremely different things. He could dream up a million different scenes in his head, picture her in a thousand different scenarios, but to have her standing there offering, put validity behind his dreams, and dried out his mouth.

He remembers very vividly the first fantasies he ever had about Betty and how disgusted he was with himself, at the time, for doing so. Thinking that he had betrayed her trust in some unknown way:

 

~~~  
It was the last week of summer vacation, and Jughead and Archie were at the swimming hole, where they spent most of their summer that year. 

Other than the obvious reasons Jughead knew why they hung out there more that summer than any other: girls in bikinis. Archie had all but camped out at SweetWater pool that summer, catching as many unabashed glimpses of bikini-clad girls like Josie or Cheryl as he could.

Jughead, naturally, couldn't care less. It was hot, and hanging out at the river all day was better than suffering in Riverdale's pavement ridden town center. He'd bring his books and journal and watch Archie make a fool of himself, tripping over his lanky undeveloped limbs, trying desperately to seem cool and collected. It worked, mostly, likely because any attention was good attention to girls like Cheryl. 

Jughead would go on to watch Archie toss her around, listen to her scream and giggle for him to stop, then watch her antagonize him into chasing after her again. It was a sickening dance of hormones that Jughead didn't want any part of. Until Betty showed up.

Her presence made him want to wrestle with her in the water. He wanted to feel her skin, wet and slick against his own, he wanted to hear her playful giggle against his ear, but his conscious-self reprimanded his hormone-fueled brain for even dreaming that could be possible. He'd known her his whole life, been in every class, through every grade. Betty was his best friend and his best friend's girl. But judging by Archie's actions that summer, the latter seemed to be less true.

"Hey!" Betty yelled to the gang below as she hopped off her bike. "-I thought I'd find you 2 here."

"Hey, Betts!" Jughead greeted lightly from the shore. 'Dude, she's your best friend. Get ahold of yourself.'

"Hi, Betty!" Archie yelled over his shoulder, before turning his attention back to Cheryl.

"Hey guys, Hi Cheryl,"

"Hello Betty, I didn't realize you would be here today."

"I brought Kevin, he's just a slowpoke," Betty said pointingly back at slowly approaching Kevin. 

Jughead watched her nose scrunch up before she dropped her head and shoulders down. He watched Betty try to ignore Cheryl and her backhanded comment, but it bothered her. Cheryl bothered her. Archie paying attention to Cheryl bothered her. But from behind his sunglasses, he watched as she shook the feeling, literally, before letting her bike land in the grass. Betty was clearly determined not to allow Cheryl and her attitude ruin her day. 

"It's really far! And really hot!" Kevin complained as he joined her, slightly winded but more or less just hot and 'over it'. 

He too ditched his bike, as he removed his shirt, the actions almost simultaneous. Betty giggled as Kevin clambered down the riverbank, passing Jughead with a wave before diving directly into the cool pool, singing the waters praises when he emerged. 

Though Betty had just turned 14 that summer, Jughead had been noticing her a lot more recently. Noticing the obvious changes to her body, but also the smaller details. Like her cheekbones, or her collar bones and their more defined appearance. Or her neck and it's slender angle or the light freckles across her shoulders or her sun-kissed skin. 

Lately, he'd been noticing her too much, if he was being completely honest. Thinking about how creamy smooth her skin must be, or what it would be like hold her. Imagining how soft her lips might feel against his.

"Why aren't you in the water, Jug?" She asked as she made her descent to the shoreline.

"I was, but then I was reading, and then you guys showed up" He stated as he stood, watching her sure footing climb down the rocks.

Betty joined him with a smile. She dropped her backpack next to the rest of the gang's things as she turned her attention to the water. 

"Worth the trip, Kev?"

"Absolutely! How are you not in here already?!"

Betty chuckled and pulled her cotton sundress over her head to reveal a bathing suit that Jughead had never seen her in, which also revealed a lot more of her flawless skin than ever before. The emerald green of the suit was as vibrant as her eyes, and he couldn't bring himself to look away.

Though her attire was still very modest compared to the other female company, Jughead felt like he had swallowed a handful of cotton balls, and that the breaths he took couldn't fill his lungs. He was memorized, standing in front of her unmoving, as she let her golden hair out from its tight restraint. 

Betty brushed past him, wafting her familiar honey fragrance and coconut sunblock scent all over him, her voice breaking him out of his daydream:

"Come on, Juggie!"

Shaking his head, Jughead came to, thinking '...Yes...cold water...frigid fucking water....freezing cold water...' as he followed Betty into the deep reprieve of SweetWater river.  
~~~

 

"I'm...I'm speechless..." Jughead mumbled, standing frozen in front of her.

"Let me help..." Betty soothed gently, as she stepped toe to toe with him.

He let out a shaky breath watching her slide her hands up the plains of his chest, feeling her slightly bunching the soft cotton below her fingers. His eyes fluttered closed as she smoothed her hands up the back of his neck, burying her fingers in the soft hair at his nape, before pulling him forward slightly. 

Any nervousness that either of them had been wrestling with seemingly vanished the moment their lips touched. Jughead sank heavily into her kiss, fervently coiling his tongue with hers. And on tiptoe Betty kept her hold on his neck tight, feeling him wrap his arms flush around her waist, his palms pressed low on her back and firmly in between her shoulder blades, pulling her hard against his body. 

Jughead sighed deeply as she swirled her hips forward, grinding them against his own. With his attentive lips still on hers, he ran a hand down from her lower back, dipping it under the short hem of her cheer skirt, grabbing her ass tightly. The thick fabric of her uniform was warm under his touch, fueling the fire already smoldering within his depths. 

Her lips continued moving against his in a deliriously unyielding pace, pulling away only for small gasps of air, and claiming his mouth again as Jughead moved his hand down to grip her other cheek before he hoisted her up against his body. 

With a delighted yelp, Betty wrapped her legs around him before capturing his lips again, as Jughead walked her over to the countertop. He dropped her down abruptly, breaking their kiss.

"You amaze me, Elizabeth" He whispered.

"And we're just getting started." 

Jughead growled lowly as he pressed his lips to hers again, resting his hands on her bare knees, the pads of his thumbs gently rubbing circles on the insides of her legs as they kissed languidly. He moved his lips across her jaw, kissing down the column of her neck, stopping at her crisp white high collar.

"I was really not expecting this..." He mumbled into her, breathing in her familiar and intoxicating scent.

"You said that already" She giggled.

He chuckled lightly before kissing back up her neck and claiming her mouth in another heated push and pull of lips and tongues. They moved together unbroken in their well-practiced match for dominance, as Betty inched herself forward so that she was tightly knit against his body. Draping her arms down his back, and hooking her heels together behind him she sank into his long slow kiss, almost completely losing concentration. 

Jughead slid his hands up to her waist, running his palms over the thick fabric and logo stitching across her chest, before cupping her breast softly. She let out a quiet moan and rolled her hips forward, the heat from her center unbearably hot against his waist, nearly causing him to lose control completely. He dropped his head down, watching himself trace the outline of the symbolic 'R' on the center of her chest with his fingers.

A lot of things surprised him about Betty, most things did, if he got right down to it. But this fantasy was something that even his own vivid imagination had enough decency to suppress. But Betty had always done things for people, that was just in her nature, and this, this she did just for him. He knew that she was nothing like the perfect girl she let the average person see, and having access to her journals proved this fact to him, now more than ever.

Yet, even with his new insight into her inner self, his mind was still a strange combination of blank and reeling. Especially so with the way she was moving her body against him, inching her knees higher up his sides, with the taste of her breath on his tongue, and the quiet moans that he trapped between them. Jughead was entranced, mesmerized, bewitched even. He felt all the 'experience' or 'knowledge' he had gathered over the course of their relationship evaporate, giving way to an exciting combination of bewilderment and intrigue. 

Sensing his pause Betty cupped his jaw in her hands, bringing his attention back up to her face, locking onto his dark blues, before she brushed her lips across his and kissed down the length of his neck. As Jughead let out a pleading whimper Betty could tell that she would need to take the lead with this one, which she was more than fine with. She knew Jughead was searching for some of his temerity, but that his lack of confidence was not for lack of eagerness. She could feel that even though his actions were choppy, unsure and not as smooth as they normally were, his desire for her still throbbed between them. Admittedly, she had made a bold choice, and it was one that he was noticeably and happily reeling from. Which again, only emboldened her.

"Let's go to your bedroom" She whispered into his neckline, the smell of fresh laundry and his own unique scent invading her senses.

Like he was following a strict order Jughead backed away abruptly, running his hands down her arms and lacing his fingers with hers. He pulled her off the counter quickly, and tuned down the hall with purpose, tugging her playfully along behind him.

"Stay HotDog," Jughead commanded over his shoulder at the loyal mutt. Betty chuckled as the sheepdog reluctantly obeyed, resuming his spot under the kitchen table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So friends, What do you think?
> 
>  
> 
> I know it's a shorter chapter, but I promise that the next one is longer. And way good!
> 
> ~~~
> 
> I added a bit about myself into my profile, if you're interested in knowing a little about the girl behind the smutt.
> 
>  
> 
> Once again: Thank you all so much for all the comments, kudos, and hits! ~~~
> 
> It's so encouraging!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~~
> 
> Oh the smutt though...
> 
> :)
> 
> ~~~

Betty moved through the threshold of Jughead's bedroom behind him and took note the lack of disarray one would normally assume the state of a teenage boys' room to be in.

She had spent very little time in his bedroom, even as kids. They would hang out at Archie's, Pickens' park, SweetWater, Jughead's tree house or in her backyard, but never, ever, at Jughead's house. 

However, since he had moved back home she had been over several more time than she had in her youth. Not much had changed though, all of his trinkets, treasures, comics and books still riddled the few bookshelves, band and movie posters still clad the walls and his Star Wars bed sheets still occupied his bed. The newest addition was a desk, tucked under his window, clearly and lovingly painted by JB. His computer lay open on top, connected to his speakers, with soft familiar tunes trickling out:

"~If you breathe in,  
Then I breathe in,  
And slowly let go.

If you need it,  
Then I need it,  
And only we'll know.~"

Everything about his space screamed 'Jughead', it even smelled like him. As Betty stepped inside she noticed her open box of journals at the foot of his bed, 2 of her diaries on his nightstand, and one open on his bed, his notebook laying open next to it. 

"Are you taking notes?!" Betty asked, shocked but not surprised at his dedication to the written word.

"You're lucky I'm not writing in the margins," Jughead replied with a smirk, moving to close both books. 

He stacked them on top of the others next to his bed, then tugged his crown off and tossed it on top of the pastel books. 

Betty's diaries were typical of any young girl. Pink or pastel coloured hardcovers with easily pickable locks, some had jewels, stickers or even gems stuck to them. 

Jughead found that Betty wrote in her diaries like she was writing to someone. To a long-lost pen pal or more likely, herself; to her past, present or future self. Documenting very detailed events and feelings in dainty cursive handwriting. 

Though she was honest and thorough, most of her entries still read like a story, article or book report. Each had a distinct beginning, middle, and end. Nothing was left incomplete, or fragmented, each was signed with her name and she even took the time to date each notation. 

Reading her delicate confessions exposed the soft, creative and wildly curious creature that her tight ponytail, book smarts, and simple pastel cardigans too often hid. 

Her mind had always searched outside the box, thinking about things that others would neglect. She was sharp, observant, and often predicted peoples reactions to events, much like a detective might. She had an innate ability to see the things that people tried to hide. But she also second-guessed herself, a lot, more than she ever should. 

She would hypothesize something to be factual, but a few pages or entries later, she'd back tack, usually implying that something or rather someone (Alice) had encouraged her to see it another way: their way.

However, Jughead was pleased to see his name held in such high regard inside the pages. Being mentioned nearly as many times as Archie. 

He would go on to read about her happiness, distress, her sadness, and confusion. Yet still, at the end of every entry, she would write some sort of silver lining. And excitingly enough, most silver lining entries included his name:

 

~  
'Jug, Arch and I finally get to go to the Twilight without our parents!'  
~

~  
'Jughead and I were paired in Home Ec. this year, that'll be fun!'  
~

~  
'Jughead has been so helpful today, remember to bake him cookies!'  
~

~  
'I think I'm in love with Jughead'  
~

 

He watched her briefly take in his space, admiring her graceful frame move around the room as he closed the door behind her.

Betty's heart pounded almost violently in her chest as she turned to catch Jughead latching the door, before pushing his long fingers through his thick hair, and rubbing the back of his neck. A classic 'anxious Jughead' tick, one which she had always found devastatingly charming.

They had been together multiple times now, countless...almost. But every time still elicited the same excitement as the first, and now, with their carnal knowledge, they chased after the same passion, fulfilling each other's needs while selfishly satisfying their own. Feeling Jughead's hesitancy and nerves only encouraged her further, reminding her without a doubt that nothing about them would ever be mundane. Her body's response to simple things like his hands running through his own hair where telltale signs of his deep and lasting effect on her.

"So, what inspired this?" He asked moving back to the side of his bed.

"I don't know. Reading your journals got me thinking..."

"About?"

"Growing up, Family, Riverdale...You..."

Jughead nodded as he sat down, he took in his view from toe to tip, smirking as he caught her gaze.

"-I feel like you were cheated out of a lot of joy back then..." She continued, standing confidently in front of him, refusing to break eye contact. 

"- And now, I want to make sure you achieve every goal, have every happiness, experience every pleasure..." 

Jughead listened silently, he gnawed on his bottom lip slightly, his eyes glued to her deep greens, with his chest heaving slightly in anticipation as she continued.

"-I trust you, with every bit of myself. I want you to have everything you could ever possibly want. And I want to make sure you know that I'm yours."

"I know you're mine." He confessed quickly, as he patted the empty space next to him on his bed.

"Good, then let's explore all the ways I can be." Betty said as she straddled his lap, in one smooth and graceful motion.

Jughead kept his gaze fixed on hers, his eyes wide, brows knit tightly together as she took his jaw in her hands and pressed her lips to his in a soft chaste kiss. 

As he sank heavily into her kiss, his hands landed on the tops of her thighs. He pushed his fingers under the pleats of her skirt, settling them dangerously high up. Feeling her roll her hips forward on his lap slightly clouded his brain and intensified their kiss almost instantly as he ran his tongue slowly with hers.

"I was really not expecting this..." He breathed as he pulled back for their impassioned kiss.

"Now you're just repeating yourself, Forsythe" She cooed as she kissed him again, glazing her tongue across his lower lip before sinking her teeth in gently.

With a moan he fully met her eagerness, kissing her hard, claiming her mouth again and again in between small gasps of each others' breath. His hips raised up to meet her as he slid his hands up from her thighs to rest on the thick fabric covering her hips. 

Keeping his lips moving at an unrelenting pace Jughead gently rocked her hips back and forth on his lap, meeting her every movement with his own, generating quiet whines from Betty as she ground her hips down harder. She pushed her fingers through his ink black tresses, gripping in lightly, and pulling him deeper into her kiss. 

"I want to rip this thing off of you, but I also want to keep you in it forever" He confessed against her lips, gripping two fists of her skirt fabric.

"You can't rip it, I paid good money for this" She replied quickly with a smirk.

"Not even a little?" Jughead pouted quietly, dropping his eyes to the small space in between their chests. He pulled the fabric towards his body with a small jerk, before pushing her hips down and back with a slow roll of his hips against her.

"Not even a little..." She whispered.

"You're sure?" He murmured, pulling Betty forward on his lap again, his fingers buried deep in the thick blue and yellow fabric. Jughead nuzzled into the slope of her neck, biting down on her delicate skin, as he waited for her retort.

Jughead knew he would've had a hell of a time ripping the thing, her uniform was just that: a thick, polyester, costume-like uniform. Not the soft delicate shit he had imagined it to be. 

But, he loved that Betty thought he could, and might. And the slight change in her very confident tone and stare encouraged him to push her, just a little. 

"I'm sure," Betty replied in a quiet breathy plea, his lips and tongue ghosting across her throat.

"What if I can't help myself?" He asked in a low whisper, pulling her forward once again, growling when she swayed her hips and pushed back against him. Betty shuttered at the low tone his voice took, basking in the low throaty groan that escaped him as she continued to eagerly meet ever push, pull and sway of his hips against hers.

Truly, Betty wanted him to rip it. She loved nothing more than when Jughead took exactly what he wanted. She also liked the rebellious thought of it all, but she had spent her own money on her uniform. Since Alice disapproved for her joining the RiverVixens in the first place, her mother wasn't about to flip the bill for something she thought was a tasteless waste of time. So, Betty saved and pooled together her babysitting money just to buy it.

"Juggie...It was 100 dollars..." She pleaded weakly as he nipped and kissed up the length of her neck.

"Mmm...I'll try to control my urges" He assured, his breath light against the shell of her ear. 

Betty shivered at the fervid timbre of his voice, pulling him back to her lips again, by her tight grip on his hair, before kissing him soundly.

"Just resist your urge to rip it. Give in to the rest." She suggested, pulling at his bottom lip with her teeth and kissing him hungrily. 

Jughead groaned as Betty skillfully snuck her hand in between their bodies. She cupped her hand against his stiff bulge before gently kneading her palm and fingers over the light fabric of his sweatpants, erupting a low growl from deep in his throat. He gripped into the flair of her hips as she continued to move her hand slowly against him. 

"Holy Fuck..." He muttered.

She captured his mouth again in a rush of passion soaked kisses, catching each strangled breath and moan to escape him.

"-p-please...slow down..." He said in a whiny whisper against her lips.

Betty chuckled lightly "Sorry..."

"Don't be, it's just...you're just...amazing..." He mumbled as she slowed her spread, which really didn't help any. 

If anything it just made him hyper-aware of how well she could read him. Betty's slowed movements made him ultra sensitive to the delicate but firm grip she had on him, and now he felt her completely, feeling her match her hands' rhythm with the swirl of her hips, a thrilling combination that nearly unraveled him right then and there.

With his eyes squeezed shut, Jughead dropped his head back with a low moan, before breathing in a few very deliberate and calculated breaths. He lightly wrapped his fingers around her wrist, and pulled her hand from in between their bodies, dropping her wrist over his shoulder.

"-if you keep that up, it'll all be over too quickly" He clarified, knowing that her tenacity would defiantly be his undoing. 

He was determined to savour as much of this exchange as he could, knowing that it likely took a lot of her courage to come here like this, completely and utterly offering herself.

Betty came to his house in the sole pursuit of pleasure, her own but more specifically: his. The delicious thought had fumbled him at the starting gate but now (having recovered from his initial shock and amazement) he wanted to enjoy her. He wanted to enjoy this almost iconic vision, but more importantly, he wanted to keep that confident look in her beautiful green eyes as long possible. 

He ran his hands up her back, his fingers finding the small zipper on the back of her vest. Jughead unzipped it slowly, watching Betty's heady gaze flicker between his lips and eyes as he slowly reached the bottom. He then slipped the thick threads over her head with a helpful lift from Betty's arms. 

Jughead's eyes raked over the white cotton of her turtleneck, the tight fabric exposing her already taut nipples, and a visible lack of a bra restraint. 

"-And no bra?!" Jughead gasped. 

Betty licked her lips with a smile and shrugged. She took his hand in hers and pressed his palm to her breast.

"I thought you'd like that" She whispered through a moan, feeling him squeeze lightly. 

"You know me too well" He growled, cupping both breasts before gently trailing his fingers over her firm peaks through the soft white fabric.

Betty's head dropped back with a shaky moan, and she gripping onto his biceps while he palmed her. Jughead's movements made her delirious as he circled the pads of his thumbs around both stiff pearls at once. 

Watching his hands work her into a panting mess, Jughead slipped one up under her shirt. He ran his fingers across the smooth underside of her breast and up to her nipple, rolling it gently between his fingers and thumb.

"t-that f-feels so good" She whispered, as Jughead's other hand moved around to her back, his palm in between her shoulder blades, pressing her chest closer to himself. Jughead hummed his reply, too absorbed to form a decent thought, let alone words.

Betty's mind was swimming in a pool of overwhelming desire as she dropped her fingers to the hem of his tshirt. She pawed at the well-worn fabric before tugging the treads up and over his head, tousling his wild waves in every direction. 

She then quickly grabbed the hem of her turtleneck and pulled off, tossing it clear across the room, seconds before Jughead's hands resumed purchase, continuing his slow assault on her soft handfuls. 

He kissed her firmly catching her moans of approval in between their lips, while Betty involuntarily rocked her hips against his stiff groin, almost aggressively now, desperate and aching to create more friction.

Unhurried, they kissed lazily, sliding across each other's lips, smoothly pushing and pulling at one another in an almost rhythmical entanglement. 

Jughead ran a hand down, quickly pushing under the pleats of her shirt, his thumb running up the inside of her thighs. He tried to push away the fabric separating them but found her skirt and shorts to be one fused garment.

"Is this all one piece?" He questioned with a laugh, his hands fumbling under her skirt, trying to find access to her skin.

"Yea, I didn't really think that one through..."

"Don't worry about it. I'll figure something out" He said with a knowing smile. 

Jughead kissed her again as his hands found the small zipper at the base of her spine and quickly undid it before he wrapped his arms around her waist and shoulder blades and swiftly rolled her onto her back

With their lips still inches apart he hovered above her, holding himself up on his forearm. He kissed her tenaciously as his free hand slipped in between her thighs, nudging them open further as he laid his body along the soft curve of her side. 

He watched himself trail his hand up to her up to her center, reveling in the quick thrust her hips made towards his hand. The sound of her pleading moan almost forced him to stay put, to stay right where he knew she wanted him most, but he bypassed her southern space, and smoothed his hand up her stomach, through the valley between her breasts and up her throat. He paused there a moment, watching Betty's eyes flutter closed, her breath catching before his palm came to rest on the side of her neck, his fingers buried in the soft blonde hair at her nape, and thumb firmly on her jaw, roughly guiding and angling her face towards his.

Betty inched forward and captured his swollen lips with her own, groaning as Jughead shamelessly rolled his hips into her, pressing his stiffness against her leg. 

As they kissed languidly he moved his hand back down her body, dipping it into the waistband of her skirt. He pushed his hand under the soft fabric of her damp panties, finding her thoroughly soaked with anticipation. He shuttered her name and a few choice profanities quietly, as he slid his fingers into her slick velvet folds. 

Betty replied keenly, moaning his name as she thrust herself against his hand again, the constricting fabric keeping his fingers exactly where she needed them. Jughead leisurely slid 2 fingers through her wetness before applying tantalizingly slow circles to her clit, falling effortlessly into the rhythm of her bucking hips. 

With one hand gripping tightly around his wrist and the other digging into his bicep, Betty felt herself tumbling rapidly towards her climax, her skin thrumming as Jughead skillfully enticed her to the point of bursting. 

"...Yes!...Juggie..." She breathed through a mumble, as Jughead continued to read her body like brail. 

Listening to every sinful moan to escape her, and watching every unabashed thrust towards him she made, he instinctively matched his speed and slick movements to her desires. He coaxed her pleasure from deep within her, as he buried his face in the slope of her neck. And with his breath and secret words of devotion in her ear, she came, quickly and surprisingly. 

Between gasps of his name and moans of approval, she rode out her wave, thighs trembling, writhing under his touch as he continued his rhythmic and confined movements between her thighs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~~
> 
> Well, I guess you can take the girl out of the music, but you cant take the music out of the Fic!
> 
> The song Jughead is playing in his room is "Need it" by Half Moon Run. The chorus and melody of that song fits, not so much the rest of it though. I encourage you to listen to it anyway.
> 
> ~~~
> 
> Please let me know what you think of this steamy chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~~  
> To Whom It May Concern:
> 
> Please note that no one was harmed or injured in this chapter, and the 'shove' in question was nothing more than an off-balance stumble step backward.  
> ~~~

"That was quick" He mused against her neck, pride quickly reminding him of his effect on her.

"You know me too well" She mimicked breathlessly, letting go of the tight grip she had on him, and sinking back against his pillows. 

Jughead moved along her, pushing his stiffness against her thigh. He pressed deliberate kisses into her neck and shoulders before sitting up and resuming his position in between her legs. 

Betty's blissed-out gaze met his and with a playful smile he grabbed the waistband of her cheer skirt and underwear by either hip and shimmied the garments down her legs, tossing them over his shoulder.

He hovered over her again, his lips meeting hers possessively in a hungry round of lips and tongues. His hand slid up the back of her leg, skimming up her side to cup her breast, palming over her nipple.

Betty moaned loudly, rolling her hips against him, shuttering at the fabric friction still between them. She quickly trailed her hands along his back and pushed them down the sides of his hips. She hooked her fingers into the soft fabric sitting low on his waistline before pushing the last cloth barriers away from them. 

Breaking their kiss, Jughead moved away long enough to discard the unwanted clothes before bringing his body back in line with hers. Betty's hips rocked back to accommodate his frame, as he moved up her body, capturing her lips roughly. 

Her hands roamed the hard lines of his back up to his shoulders before she gripped her nails in. She groaned into his mouth as his tip slid through her sensitive silken valley.

Jughead aligned himself with her center, coiling is tongue fervently with hers as he did so, the hot and sudden skin-on-skin contact adding a quickening rush of excitement, focusing his mind on one major and crucial goal. 

He wasted no time now, thrusting himself into her depths, and simultaneously dropping his forehead to her collarbone, consumed by her yielding and familiar grip and her breathy cry of his nickname in his ear. Jughead grabbed the back of her thigh, gripping her skin tightly and leaning onto his other arm, his fist twisted into his bedsheets as he pushed himself to the hilt within her.

"...b-betts..." He whined quietly feeling her inch her knees higher up his sides, pulling what felt like every possible inch of ridged length deeper within her warmth. 

Betty hummed a shaky reply, as she dug her heels into his backside, feeling affixed and whole again, completely enveloping him. She involuntarily squeezed her thighs around his waist when Jughead tried to pull away for half of a very shaky breath, before he drove himself back into her seductive center again, picking up a blinding and relentless pace.

Betty met every one of his thrusts with gyrations and moans of her own, dragging her fingernails down his shoulder blades, her voice in his ear begging and pleading for him never to stop.

The sinful inflection in her voice had him reeling, adding to the way her hips moved in tandem to his own left him searching the corners of his lust filled mind for something awful, in search of something vile. Seeking out anything to distract him from the building pressure within his core, in a despairing and fleeting attempt not to cum.

"Come on, Juggie" She enticed, sensing his desperate attempt to last longer than his body and mind would allow. 

"-let go." She commanded, her voice almost a whisper against the shell of his ear, her internal muscles pulling him over the edge.

With the words falling from her lips, Jughead surrendered to her plea, his climax shaking him through to the tips of his toes. He stiffened and relaxed in one conscious-devouring moment as he buried his face into the slope of her neck. He kissed and sucked at her delicate skin heedlessly in between moans of her full name, lost in the euphoria that was his one and only.

Betty grappled her limbs around him tighter and squeezed, breathing in the sent of his freshly washed hair, kissing his neck and nibbling at his earlobe as Jughead's staggered breath returned to a quasi-normal rate. 

He pulled back to look at her, a sleepy dopey grin glued to his lips, his deep blue eyes full of adoration and contentment.

"My god, Betty. I fucking love you" He confessed pressing his lips to hers in a soft and sensual kiss filled with the heady emotions of their melding. "-you're...that was...just great..."

Betty giggled, her wordsmith left again, at a loss for words. 

"I love you too, Jug" She replied as she pushed his hair back from his face before kissing him again. He responded eagerly, kissing her back firmly, wrapping a hand around the back of her neck, his thumb pressing into the hollow of her throat briefly before he slid himself out of her heat with a soft shutter and flopped himself down next to her.

Jughead laid back on his pillows, closing his eyes, waiting for his heartbeat to slow down. He felt Betty move beside him, and blindly held his arms open to her. She moved into his side laying her head next to his, pulling the strewn blankets up with her as she settled in close.

Betty stared at his long lashes as he drowsed contently beside her, admiring how beautiful he looked at times like these. His usually skeptical stare and stern features consumed by pure undeniable love and bliss.

They laid quietly, a mess of tangled limbs, their breath in sync, basking in the soft afterglow for a long while before Betty spoke up:

"Do you want to read me something?" She asked sweetly.

"Really?"

"It's only fair, I did it to you..."

"Ok" Jughead replied without pause.

He reached over to his bedside table, careful not to move too far from his grappled embrace with Betty. He slipped out the diary he had open on his bed when she arrived and thumbed knowingly halfway through the pages. He cleared his throat and spoke:

~  
'Dear Diary:

Yesterday was my 15th birthday....Whoopee....

Why don't I feel any older or wiser?

Anyway, Polly and I went to Pop's for birthday breakfast. She told me she has a crush on Jason Blossom, which I find super weird. She made me promise not to tell Mom and Dad, and I won't, but I'm worried about her. The Blossom's are a horrid family...and I don't want her to get hurt. 

I did get to have a birthday party though, which was nice but in true Alice and Hal fashion, they nearly ruined the whole thing. Alice is so focused on us not screwing things up. She 'needs' Polly and I to 'think about the future' but I'm just trying to take life day by day.

Archie almost forgot about my birthday altogether, and he didn't even give me a gift. Which is fine, I didn't expect anything, but it's the thought that counts, you know? 

Lately, I get the feeling that he doesn't care about our friendship as much as I do. He's been so distracted but I don't know how to approach the issue without pushing him away?

Jughead gave me the most beautiful gift though. Also, he hugged me, which he rarely does, and something felt very different when he wrapped his arms around me. He held onto me so tightly...it felt like he didn't want to let me go...and, to be honest, I didn't think I wanted to let go either...

...But he's so not into me. Is he? No. He can't be. Jughead isn't into anyone...

I did, however, get the feeling that he wanted to tell me something really important, but Archie interrupted him, and I haven't had the chance to bring it up since. I know things aren't the best at home for him right now...so I hope he's ok.

Well anyway, here's to another year closer to 18, and another year closer to freedom!

I am really excited for this summer though, I'm looking forward to the sunshine! The gang promised to hang out more, especially at the swimming hole! 

Until next time,  
-Betty.'  
~

Betty shifted uncomfortably, feeling a hot blush creep up her neck and fill her cheeks. She buried her face in the crook of his neck as he finished.

"Well, that's embarrassing..." She mumbled.

"I don't think so" He mimicked. "-But that day, when I gave you your bracelet..."

"You mean the day you gave me the best hug of my life?" She confessed lightly.

Jughead chuckled "Yea, that day. I wanted to tell you that I loved you that day...but..."

"But?"

"But Archie...was Arch and you're Betts and I'm me, and I chickened out."

Betty listened quietly, waiting with almost bated breath for his confessions, his secrets released to her after years of careful containment.

"That whole year was an amazing combination of brutal physical work and light-hearted teenage mischief."

"Mischief that landed you in juvenile detention."

"Only for 5 months"

"Only?!"

"We all survived" He teased. 

"That was an awful night."

"Yet another reason why I hate my birthday."

"We all should have gotten in trouble."

"Well, I'm glad you didn't."

"I still feel bad about it," Betty said quietly.

"Don't, someone had to take the fall."

"They used you as a scapegoat."

"I know. But I learned a lot while I was 'locked up'. I got ahead in all my classes, read a ton of books, learned how to drive and got my license. The whole thing was very white-privilege."

Betty traced aimless patterns into his chest with the pads of her fingers and felt him inhale deeply, her gaze lifting to see him staring back down at her. She smiled gently as he continued:

"-on the downside, during my time there, I fell deep into the mindset that you didn't, couldn't and defiantly shouldn't love me the same way I love you..."

She waited quietly still, almost scared to break the spell, this was as candid as vocal Jughead could get.

"-And when I came back in April, the 3 of us started to drift more, or rather, I pushed you guys away. You and Kevin were spending more time together, Arch was only interested in football and chasing after girls, so I started writing more than sleeping."

Jughead continued, feeling an almost cathartic release, spewing out facts she would have already seen in his journals, but the feeling of saying them to her propelled him. It put more vigor behind the words, and drove their meanings home, for both of them.

"-When I started working the Twilight, we spent more time together, but the whole thing with Ethel at the Drive-In happened. Also, Archie had finally noticed you, and your relationship became way more flirtatious."

Betty shifted impossibly closer, finding his hand and threading their fingers together, resting their untwined hands against his heart.

"-And then everything else happened. All at once. My dad hitting rock bottom and losing his job, my mom and Jelly leaving, your internship, living at the Twilight, Archie bailing on our roadie...the murder...I panicked. I pushed my feelings down, and I focused all my attention on my writing. I thought I had locked the door on my feelings for you, but, when you called me that night crying because of Archie, I couldn't fucking stand it...that's when I truly knew I had to tell you, and it would have consumed me if I didn't"

Betty sat quietly for a while, bringing her head to rest on his chest, fully absorbed in his heartbeat and honest words. 

"I understand...I wish I had listened to my guts"

"I wish I had the balls sooner" Jughead replied.

Betty laughed, nuzzling into him, thinking about that strange and confusing Spring night at the Drive-In:

~~~  
It was opening night at the Twilight. Jughead had been back for over a month now, but they were still missing their friendly rhythm. 

Everyone was preoccupied with their own lives, The end of the school year approached quickly, with finals and papers due the next couple weeks. Archie had his various sports, Kevin was entangled in a budding secret affair with Moose, Betty was consumed with Alice and her demand for perfection, and Jughead was his reclusive lone wolf self, now more than ever. The gang still spent lunches together, but it seemed almost obligatory to him, rather than wanted. 

He'd sit quietly (which was not uncommon) and would only interject when called upon (which was very uncommon) even when things that were near and dear to him were brought up in conversation. Like the Twilight Drive-In, for example, and it's annual kick-off late night double feature. 

They were showing 'Pulp Fiction' and 'Reservoir Dogs' this year, under Jughead's strong suggestion. A small and rare win for the Jones.

Betty knew he wasn't running the projector that night, but would be attending anyway, clearly, since they were playing 2 of his all-time faves. Kevin had invited her out as his date, after finally being allowed to use his dad's truck. Archie was going with some of his bros, and Jughead, well she hadn't seen him at all that day, so his plans for the evening were a mystery. Just like the boy in question.

Kevin parked in one of only 'acceptable' spots in the lot. They hopped out and Betty began to spread their blankets and pillows out.

"I'll get snacks. Popcorn? The usual?" 

"Sure, all I care about is the candy. You know this" She smiled.

~~~Later~~~

"I'll be right back," Betty said suddenly. "-bathroom."

She had anterior motives though, really she was just leaving to seek out the companionship of one of her oldest friends. 

"Sure" Kevin replied through a mouthful of popcorn.

She took the shortest route, passing the bleachers and snack shack before she spotted her tall, dark haired friend.

Jughead was relaxed against the projection booth, one converse sneaker pressed on the wall behind him, his arms a crossed over his chest, watching the screen intently as she approached.

"There you are!" Betty said brightly as she rounded the corner.

"Hey" He replied.

"What's up?" She asked.

"Nothing." He scowled.

"I didn't see you at lunch" 

Jughead shrugged deliberately keeping his eyes glued to the outdoor movie screen.

"-Are you ok?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" 

"I dunno. Something feels off."

"Weird." Jughead said sarcastically.

Betty kept her eyes locked on him, with a frown, searching her childhood friends face for a flicker of life.

"Jug, please don't brush me off like that." She said sternly but keeping her eyes soft.

"I don't mean to, Betts." He confessed honestly after a long pause.

Jughead looked at her, flashing her an unconvincing side smile. She replied by cocking her eyebrow and shuffling closer, determined to cheer him up or connect with him again, somehow.

She stepped in, less than an arms reach away from him now as Chuck Berry's 'You Never Can Tell' began playing softly in the background. She started to sway back and forth to the music, swirling her hips and twisting her feet into the soft dirt. 

She dropped her hands in front of her body, elbows bet, wrists floppy, shimmying and mimicking Uma Thurman's iconic dance scene with John Travolta.

Another more honest side smile tugged at Jughead's lips as he watched her move effortlessly in time with the soft music. She stopped when he started to chuckle lightly, hopefully at her dedication, she thought.

"That's better" Betty mused with a wide smile.

"-Come sit with us. It's weird without you" She reached out and took his hand, surprised at how warm his skin was under the cool Spring night.

She turned to tug him away, but he pulled her back, dropping their locked fingers closer to his body.

"Thank-you, Betty." He said quietly. 

She went to reply, opening her mouth to speak but stood there frozen instead. She looked on as Jughead stepped toe to toe with her, their chests less than an inch apart. 

She felt a hot flush creep up her neck, as his clear blue eyes searched her bright greens, almost pleadingly. Her breath caught in her throat as he leaned into her body more, the heat from his chest radiating into her and sending her head into a spiral. 

He dipped his head down to hers, moving in closer, his warm breath sweeping across her skin but at the last possible second, he bypassed her lips and kissed her gently on the cheek. 

"...d-don't mention it." She replied quietly, as he moved his body out of her personal bubble.

"I'll go get us some snacks and meet you, usual spot?" Jughead said quickly, letting go of her hand and backing away.

"Yes." Betty murmured.

"Usual snacks?" He asked.

"Yes." She mumbled as he turned towards the snack shack.

Betty stood shocked for a moment, trying to figure out what had just happened. Trying to process why. But more specifically, why she wanted so desperately for his lips to have landed on hers instead of on her cheek. 

She walked back to Kevin's truck slowly, her mind swirling with confusion and intrigue. 

'Why do I feel disappointed?'

"Betts? You look like you've seen a ghost! Are you ok?" Kevin asked as she stepped to the tailgate.

"Uh, yea. I mean, yes. I'm fine" She stuttered as she hopped into the back of the truck. She scooched back to rest against the rear window as Kevin skeptically eyed her uneven movements.

"...okay?" Kevin replied, drawing out the last letters. 

Betty kept her gaze glued to the silver screen, trying to process what was happening in her chest, trying to understand why the spot on her cheek still felt hot from his lips and desperately trying to understand why her heart ached so badly.

As she was lost in thought Ethel appeared in front of them, looking like she had a loaded question dancing on the tip of her tongue.

"Is Jughead working tonight?" She asked them sheepishly.

"Not tonight" Kevin replied.

"Have you seen him?"

"No."

"Yes." Betty blurted out. 

Kevin gave her a side look, noticing the slight crack in her voice. He cocked his eyebrow before looking back to a grinning Ethel.

"Where?"

"Snack Shack," Betty said bluntly.

"Thanks, guys!" Ethel chirped happily as she turned on a dime and hurried away.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Kevin asked again, watching Betty's questioning eyes follow the tall girl away.

"Yea..." She lied.

"Would you tell me if you weren't?"

"I would." She lied again.

Though Kevin seemed unconvinced, he returned his attention to the giant screen ahead of them. He took the last few slurps of his drink, shaking the ice cubes dramatically inside his empty cup.

"I'm going to get some more, did you want anything?" 

"I'll go." She offered quickly.

"...okay..."

Betty snatched his cup and hopped out of the truck. She made a quick line to the snack shack, passing Reggie and Archie talking by the bleacher seats, as the redhead gave her a wave and a wink.

Once she came closer to her destination she saw that Ethel had found Jughead and caught him in line for snacks. Betty stopped close enough to eavesdrop but far enough back not to be noticed. 

'so you're spying on people now?' She thought as she listened, in intrigue, catching them in mid-conversation:

"Come on, Juggy. Why not?!"

"Because, Ethel. I'm not interested. I'm sorry"

"It'd be different if I were prettier wouldn't it..."

"Please don't do that, this has nothing to do with you as a person, Ethel. I'm just not interested"

"How do you know?"

"I know."

"You don't know! Just give me a chance, Juggy"

"Ethel, please."

"How can you know unless you get to know me better?"

"Again, I'm not interested, I'm sorry." He replied honestly, paying the clerk and shoving his candy loot into his pockets. He turned to leave, finding Ethel standing firm, now in front of him.

"Come on! We have lots in common, and if it's not the way I look, what's stopping us from seeing if we fit?"

"We don't fit."

"We might," She said. 

She spoke the last words so quietly that Betty barely heard them. 

Ethel stepping closer to Jughead, however, Betty saw, felt and heard. Loud and clear. Fully experiencing the warm green embrace of the jealousy monster. Her stomach twisted into a tight knot, but the churning in her guts was surprisingly intensified by Jughead's simultaneous sidestep backward.

"We don't." He stated firmly.

"Just one date, Juggy. I know you'll change your mind about me" Ethel suggested, dropping her head to one side.

Jughead backed away from her advancing fame again, looking quite literally pushed into a corner, with the wall of the snack shack and fence line leaving him no escape. 

"No, Thank you. Please, Ethel, try and understand. I'm not interested in dating."

"How will you know unless you try?"

Ethel reached for his hand and Jughead reacted quickly, jerking it away and grabbing her by the shoulders.

"Stop! I said I'm not interested! In any of it! No dates, no dances, no fucking flowers, ok?! Enough." He moved her body backward with his forceful step forward before releasing her quickly, their combined momentum carrying her backward with a stumble.

Jughead's feet hit the ground firmly as his gaze lifted to see Betty moving through the neon green snack light beacon.

"Jug?" She asked softly, her face wrinkled in a questioning stare.

"Hey." He huffed, clearly frustrated as he walked briskly away from a stunned Ethel.

"I came for a refill...and to see if you needed help carrying something back but..." She explained as she fell in step with his quickening pace.

Jughead started for the exit, trying to avoid her concerned green eyes.

"-Jughead, where are you going?"

"Home."

"What? Why!?"

Jughead muttered a few choice swear words under his breath as Betty spoke again:

"-you're leaving your favourite day of the year when they're finally playing your favourite movies?! Why?!"

"I don't need any of this shit."

"What shit?" 

Betty picked up her pace, half jogging, trying to match his long strides.

"-What happened back there, Jug?"

He nearly reached his escape route, the sound of Betty's shuffling footsteps close behind him.

"-Jug?..." She reiterated, trying to sound as calm as possible, but her heart was pounding, and she wasn't really sure why.

She'd seen him hurt, frustrated and even mad before. She'd seen him yell, dwell and even cry. But this, this was different. Something else was going on, and she couldn't put her finger on it.

"-Please stop."

He halted dead in his tracks, causing Betty to slip in the soft dirt under her flats stopping behind him, just short of crashing into his back.

"This is exactly the type of thing I've been trying to fucking avoid all these years!!" He said in a hushed yell as he turned to her, pointing back to the snack shack.

"Ok." Betty said simply, waiting to see if he'd continue.

Jughead held her gaze for a quiet moment before dropping his eyes to the ground. He exhaled deeply as he shoved his hands into his pockets, swaying back and forth on his heels slightly before he spoke again.

"I lost my temper."

"I saw."

"I've tried to let her down easy, told her I'm not interested, but she just kept on pushing it"

"I know."

"I shouldn't have yelled," Jughead confessed, still looking at the ground. "-and shoving her, no matter how lightly, is also not ok. I do feel like a real dick for that." He said sadly, he looked up to meet her gaze, sadness clouding his normally clear blue eyes.

"I understand." She said quietly, stunned by the brutal honesty behind his gaze.

"I've asked her to back off and she just wouldn't give up."

"She's always had a crush on you"

"I know, but my answer is always the same. What else do I have to say? How can I be any clearer?"

"Why not give her a chance?"

Jughead held eye contact, his mouth opening but words evading him. He pulled his eyebrows into a frown and shook his head as if to shake a thought away before he looked back down to their feet, standing almost as close to each other as they had earlier that night.

"I don't want to have anything to do with the hormonal chase of the adolescent dating scene," He said sternly but also quietly.

"The chase is part of it, it's normal"

"It's not normal." He corrected, locking eyes with her again. "-I'm not normal. I don't get to have normal."

"...Jug..." She whispered sympathetically. 

"You're missing the movie" He deterred sadly, nodding to the giant silver screen behind her head. He pulled the bags of Twizzlers and M&M's out of his pockets and handed them to her "-I'll see you later Betty."

Holding their favourite Drive-In candies, Betty watched Jughead leave his favourite place, while his favourite movie played in the background. She was left bewildered, with a sinking feeling burrowing deep in the pit of her stomach.  
~~~

"I really missed you while you were away," Betty confessed after a long comfortable silence.

"I know, you wrote about it"

"Why didn't you kiss me that night at the Twilight?" She asked bluntly after a short silence. Knowing now, that was defiantly his intention.

"I almost did, but my nerves got the better of me. And then after what happened with Ethel, I bitterly shut down everything. And then I convinced myself that you deserved better than some trashy Serpents' son"

"I didn't think any less of you after that night, she had you trapped. No one was hurt"

"I should have been honest with you right there. I could have avoided a lot of that drama I was always trying to avoid if I had just been honest"

"We all make mistakes," Betty confessed.

"If I had just said 'I only want to be with you.' Things would have been different"

"...Juggie..." Betty mewled, looking up to his earnest blue eyes.

"But we're here now and I won't take that for granted." He replied lovingly. "-You make everything better."

Betty melted. She brought her hand up to his jaw, running her fingers gently down the sharp angle.

"I love you, Jughead Jones"

He smiled down at her as she leaned in, fusing her lips with his in a rush of kisses full of confessions of their very own. Jughead cupped her cheek in his hand, the other running down the length of her spine as he lost himself in her lips.

Betty had never expected to find this kind of love with another human. And she certainly didn't expect it to happen so early in her life either, or with her best friend. But she was determined to never let him go and to remind him every day of her fidelity.

"FP will be home soon," Jughead said lightly, brushing strands of blonde that had escaped from her ponytail back and away from her cheeks.

Betty pouted dramatically, as she pulled the covers up in an attempt to keep them from ever having to move. 

Jughead lay unmoving, his arms wrapped around her, feeling her nuzzle into his chest, before pushing herself upright. As she sat up her held his sheets against her chest, and scanned the room for her clothing. He reached a hand up to the back of her neck, wrapping his fingers over her warm skin before trailing them softly down the length of her back. A visual shiver ran through her as she looked back to him with a wide smile.

"You'd better get up, Romeo." She said lightly as she got up to gather her things.

Jughead chucked lightly and nodded before getting out of bed. He found his bottoms and slipped them on, watching Betty step back into her cheerleading uniform.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~~
> 
> Please share your feelings and tell me what you think!! 
> 
> ~~~
> 
> If you're familiar with the Archie Comics Universe you know that Ethel wanted Jughead desperately, this touches on that long-running narrative. 
> 
> This chapter took me some time, Buggies. Sorry for the slight 'delay' 
> 
> It was a hard one to write, I'm not the most comfortable with angst but a bit was needed.
> 
> I left ya a few bread-crumbs. Hope that's ok ;)
> 
> ~~~
> 
> I'm worried for Bughead in this new season of Riverdale, after this first episode, I'm panicking a bit. 
> 
> I have a feeling that this happy, little, love infested universe I've created may be my only solace...


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~~
> 
> Lots o'fluff 
> 
> :)

Jughead found his discarded shirt and beanie and pulled them on as Betty turned for him to zip her up. He secured the delicate zipper in between her shoulder blades, before smoothing his hands across her shoulders. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug, his face buried in the soft space behind her ear.

Betty relaxed back into him as she grabbed ahold of his wrists, sinking into his warm embrace.

Suddenly, HotDog's booming bark broke their trance, reminding them that they were still in Jughead's bedroom. He peppered kisses against her neck and cheek before releasing her and shifting over to his bedroom door. Upon opening it, his shoulders sank.

"Shit" Jughead mumbled as he closed his door again. The T.V was on in the living room and he could hear his dad shuffling around in the kitchen. 

"What?" She asked quietly.

"FP's home."

Betty's eyes went wide, she immediately dropped her eyes down to her outfit, then back at Jughead pleadingly. 

"My jacket it out there."

"Shit."

Jughead moved quickly and quietly, grabbing her a pair of black sweats and his treasured one and only 'S' sweatshirt.

"Girlfriend's steal sweatshirts, right?"

"Technically, yes. But I steal everything." Betty said with a giggle.

"You have to give this one back" He requested sternly as he handed the soft sweater over. "-It's the only one I have"

"I will." She promised as she pulled the large layers over her uniform. The pants were extra long but luckily had a drawstring so she was able to hoist them up high, making them appear to kinda fit. 

Betty gestured to her herself for his approval. Jughead looked her over with a smile and a soft shrug, then a final thumbs up.

"Its better than the alternative"

Jughead held his arm out to her, beaconing her towards the exit.

"-Ready?"

"I guess..."

"Don't worry about it. FP's not stupid, but he won't make it awkward." Jughead reassured as he opened the door, and pulled her through the threshold. "- Just be cool" He finished lightly. 

Betty gave him a smirk and she rolled her eyes as she passed through. Betty was a lot of things, and she could pretend to be even more, but cool? That was never something she could convincingly fake.

"Cool." She confirmed with dramatic finger quotations.

HotDog happily trotted down the hall to greet Jughead, but more importantly; Betty. He recognized his master before pushing past him to happily accost the blonde.

The movement down the hall and the sound of HotDog's wagging tail hitting the wall caught FP's attention. With a raised eyebrow he locked eyes with his son and gave him a small wave.

"Hey Dad," Jughead said sheepishly, walking into the kitchen, feeling Betty following closely behind.

"Hi Mr.Jones " She greeted quietly.

FP had just shoved a piece of pizza in his mouth, so he nodded with a smile, finishing off his bite.

"Betty, we've been over this, it's FP."

"Sorry, old habits"

"I know all about old habits, but Mr.Jones just makes me sound so old," FP said as he took a long sip of his soda.

"-You'd better get that car back" He scolded lightly with a smile, before finishing his slice and nodding towards the front of the house.

"Yes, Mr.Jones, sorry...will do, FP" Betty fumbled. 

She hoped that her quick fix hair adjustment and concealment of her earlier outfit under borrowed clothes had convinced FP that nothing inappropriate was going on. But judging by the older Jones' knowing smirk, she assumed that it was unsuccessful.

"I'll walk you out" Jughead assured, trying desperately to ignore his fathers' smirking gaze. He grabbed Betty's coat on the way out of the kitchen, his hand lightly guiding her by the small of her back.

As they stepped to the front door, Jughead dropped his grip to her hand, stopping her mid-step and turning her to face him. With a smile he held her coat open for her, pulling it over her shoulders as she slid her arms through the holes. 

Betty secured the zipper and fished out her car keys. After pushing her feet into her boots she passed Jughead his pair, and he shoved them on while pulling on his sheepskin coat.

He opened the front door, letting a cold gust in as they stepped onto the stoop. It was just past 9 pm now, and the moon and stars illuminated the cold crisp night clearly. 

Jughead guided Betty to the driver's side door as the blonde walked blindly ahead of him, her gaze caught up in the sky.

"I forgot how great the stars look out here"

"The perks of being on the outskirts of town"

"Do you remember the night of the meteor shower?"

"Of course I remember"

Jughead recalled that night vividly, remembering his very hopeful self catching the first clues that Betty may have cared for him more than she let on, to anyone, including herself.

 

~~~  
The 3 of them lay in the tall grass of Hadley Field, watching the meteors and stars for hours. However, Archie lost interest after 45 minutes, dozing off shortly thereafter.

Betty and Jughead lay enamored by the heavenly display, content to just enjoy the wonder of their natural world, unfazed by their arid, now snoring friend. 

She lay quietly, listening to the occasional story or fact that slipped past his guard or she'd ask him questions about certain clusters of stars. Though she knew most of them herself, the way he described things always left her probing him for more. How he explained himself and told stories often left her playing dumb, in hopes to coax more words out of him.

Betty had noticed the budding changes within her 2 male counterparts. She was far from blind and all the girls in their class probed her for information about the evolving duo. Betty was happy to share a fragment of the information she had on her 2 best friends, keeping the best stuff for herself. Feeling that new pang of confidence or pride as the boys would choose her table over others, no matter how innocent the gesture was. 

She, like Jughead and Archie, had spent as much time as possible at the swimming hole that summer. Though her 14 year old intentions were slightly more innocent than Archie's, the core reasoning was the same:

Boys. Shirtless boys. Boys in nothing but swim trunks. 

She and Kevin had spent that summer trolling for eye candy. Neither of them wanted anything other than that, content to quietly ogling the masculine form. And Archie and Jughead were no exceptions to this new discovery.

Honestly, Betty flirted with the both of them, she always had. It was part of their friendly banter, harmless in their youth, but was now riddled will a new hormonal undertow.

Where Archie's interests were painfully obvious, chasing after every pretty thing he saw and equally participating in the friendly flirtatious Betty threw at him. Jughead's intentions were never obvious, and always mysterious. With almost everything. 

His casual and nonchalant nature left her second-guessing her intuition, every day. But she'd still throw her innocent flirtations his way too, assuming that the light-hearted banter he sometimes offered back was as far as it would ever go.

So tonight, Betty shuffled closer, the warmth of his body radiating against her despite the cool summer breeze. 

Though there was enough room on her blanket for them all to lay comfortably, Jughead felt Betty press more of her side against him, tucking her bare feet under his pant leg, curling her cold toes underneath him. 

Being close to her was not a rarity, and they would often share space closely, at the Twilight, in the treehouse or in that squishy booth at Pops'. But having her chase after his proximity was new, and it set his skin ablaze.

She tossed her arms above her, tucking one under as a pillow, the soft skin on the back of her hand brushing across his knuckles above their heads. She made no attempt to apologize or pull away as she lay quietly beside him, which quickened his heart rate. A reaction she had been generating within him, unknowingly, all summer long.

Jughead felt as though he could reach out and touch her, as though she was almost welcoming it. The tilt of her body towards him, her toes pushing at his socks, her innocent and content sighs. And though he had nothing to base this information on other than a hunch, he swore that her breath hitched as he gently stretched his finger out to pass across hers, to then card his long digits through the cool tall grass.

"What do you want to be when you grow up, Jug?" Betty asked after a long silence. 

He sat, contemplating his answer for once, skipping over the normal 'I've got time to decide' or 'I don't know' bullshit lie.

"Happy?" He stated, his voice taking on an air of disbelief. He took a deep breath and said more confidently: "-not here."

"You want to leave?" She asked, her quiet voice cracking just slightly, so quietly that it almost went unnoticed. But not by him. Jughead recently took note of everything Betty, every micro-expression, every half breath, every eye roll.

"As soon as possible" He clarified, realizing immediately after how abrupt and cold he sounded in that moment, regretting his tone the minute it left his tongue.

Betty's face sank as he looked at her, she tried to look involved in the sky above, but he could tell she was saddened by his answer. It was clear that life without him was not something the young blonde wanted to deal with and he felt his heart clench up with guilt. He panicked, and switched gears, trying to direct the attention back to her.

"What about you? What do you want to be when you grow up?" He detoured.

"I can't believe you want to leave" She stated, completely bypassing his deterrent. 

"You don't?" 

"Not really. I love our town"

"You love it because you fit in, you mesh, and you don't rock the boat" Jughead clarified gently. "-I stand out, I don't mesh and sometimes I tip the boat"

"It's still home."

"There's nothing in Riverdale for me" 

"Nothing?" She asked softly.

He could think of a couple reasons to stay, one most specifically, but instead of confessing to her that the only reason he'd ever stay in their mediocre town would be for her, he just shrugged, hoping that would be enough. It wasn't.

"-What about your family?" 

"My family is falling apart. The sooner I'm gone the easier it'll be" Jughead confessed sadly, turning his eyes back up.

"What about JellyBean?" 

Jughead felt his mouth dry out and his throat tighten up, knowing that his little sister was the only other reason for him to ever stay. But he never wanted to be the person that held anyone back and expected the same for himself in return. He knew that Jelly would never resent him for leaving. She grew up with the same parents he had, she knew what wanting to run away felt like.

"-Friends?"

He turned his gaze back to Betty's catching her staring at him before she nervously turned her attention back up to the sky as he spoke:

"You could leave too, you know."

"I know."

"Don't you want to?"

"I want to explore, sure, but this is my home, Jug. Everyone I love is here"

Jughead couldn't take his eyes off her, watching what looked like a newly realized thought or confession plaguing at her mind as she gnawed on her lip, her tongue darting out to catch the bottom pillow in between her teeth.

"-I didn't realize you hated Riverdale so much," Betty said finally. 

She swallowed thickly, feeling the throat clench, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes, threatening an embarrassing release. She couldn't believe her own naivety, and now felt terribly unnerved at how quickly he wanted to leave the comfort of their town, their familiarity, and their little trio. 

She knew that Archie would likely stay in Riverdale and end up running Fred's construction company, and just selfishly assumed Jughead would be there too, as he always was.

"I don't hate Riverdale" He clarified trying to swallow the dry lump in his throat. "-Just the people." He finished quietly. 

"Everyone?"

"No, Betts...Not everyone." He confessed gently.

She finally turned and held his gaze. He'd come up onto his side, now completely facing her, with his head propped in the palm of his hand.

Betty kept her eyes on his, willing her tears to stay put, but gravity was a traitor and a few salty strays rolled down her nose and cheek.

"...Betts..." Jughead soothed softly, moving his free hand towards her, stopping halfway when she wiped the wetness away with her own fingers.

"I just...I've never thought about...being without...I've never thought about being apart..." She stumbled, trying desperately not to full on cry. 

It was the honest truth. In all the years they spent together, the inevitable fact of them living away from one another never crossed her mind. She somehow always assumed they'd be together. Go to the same school together, live near one another forever, grow up and old...together. 

"Come with me..." Jughead said quietly, so quietly that she wasn't sure she heard him right, but judging by the look on his face, she had.

Betty opened her mouth to speak before shutting it and pulling her quivering lip into her mouth again. She closed her eyes and shook her head, in no definitive direction. 

'shit...fix it...fix it...fix it...fuck...'

Regretting his suggestion the moment the words tumbled thoughtlessly out of his big stupid mouth, Jughead searched her features, trying to gauge what level of back peddling he was going to need to do. 

He watched her intently, waiting for her to tell him off, or burst into tears or anything, but instead she appeared to be mulling the option over in her mind, still nibbling and pulling at her bottom lip, deep in thought for a long while.

The silence between them was deafening, with the symphony of crickets around them sounding like a swarm of locus as Jughead's words hung in the air. Every fiber of his being was a lit and charged in a strange combination of fight and flight, as he waited anxiously, not knowing how to proceed. 

"Where would we go?" Betty asked finally, turning more onto her side, her arm tucked under her cheek and chin as she spoke. She held his gaze, for longer than she was comfortable with before he answered.

"Anywhere...Everywhere..." He said quietly, watching her gaze drop from his eyes. He wondered if it was wishful thinking or if she was looking at his lips, regardless, the tiny action made his pulse race.

"Alone?"

"If you want." He replied quickly, his tone low and almost suggestive. 

Jughead's offer hung between them as Betty kept her eyes locked on his. She felt almost drawn towards him as she tried to read his features in their near pitch black surroundings. 

He could feel his heartbeat in his ears, as he searched her face for an answer. Every muscle within him screamed to lean in, to bridge the small space between them now, take her in his arms and kiss her. He felt himself involuntary shift towards her as she spoke:

"You'd want me to go with you?" She said in an almost whisper, scared to move and ruin the moment, and kill the energy that was surprisingly building between them.

"What are you guys talking about?" Archie asked through a yawn, stretching out dramatically beside Betty. 

And just like that, the spell was broken, the honest moment between friends faded into the darkness as Jughead laid back again, sighing heavily, as his gaze drifted back up to the twinkling sky. 

"-how long was I out?"

"A few hours," Betty said, trying to keep the disappointment from her voice.

"Did I miss anything?"

"Other than this?!" She pointed up at the still active shower.

"Anything else?" Archie reiterated.

"No" Jughead confessed, feeling Betty's gaze on him, but unable to bring himself to look at her.  
~~~

 

"These stars remind me of that night"

"-Except it's way colder" Jughead joked, as he pulled her close.

"-And, I get to do this now" He continued, bringing his thumb and finger to her chin, and kissing her firmly on the lips. She brought her hands up to his sharp jaw, taking each side in her cold hands.

"-Tonight was just, unreal. It feels weird to thank you, but...thank you?"

Betty shrugged and kissed him again, pushing her tongue past his lips, finding him willing and waiting. She weaved her fingers into the soft hair at the nape of his neck, loving the low moans to escape him every time she curled her fingers in deeply. 

Jughead wrapped his arms around he waist, hauling her against himself, forcing her onto her tiptoes. She sank into him, matching his tight grip.

"You're welcome, Jug" Betty replied with a lighthearted chuckle, their faces breaths apart.

"See you in the morning?"

Betty nodded frantically pulling her grip around his neck more.

"Usual time?"

"Yes please" She smiled, fusing their lips together again, kissing him languidly, and adapting his 'zero fucks given' mindset as nosy neighbours peeked through curtains.

"Can't wait." Jughead sighed pulling only slightly away from her "-I love you." 

"I love you too. See you tomorrow" Betty replied as she pulled herself away and got into the cold vehicle. 

After waiting a moment for the machine to warm up, Betty threw the car into gear, gave Jughead a final wave and took off into the night.

Jughead let himself back into the warmth of the house and closed the door behind himself. He dropping his gaze down to a very disappointed HotDog, sitting at his feet.

"You do like her the most, don't you?"

HotDog flopped onto his side with a heavy sigh, before stretching out on the doormat. "-Me too, buddy." 

Jughead rid himself of his outdoor clothes and looked up to catch his father's stare. He rubbed the back of his neck before nervously pulling his beanie over his ears more and stepping back into the kitchen.

"So...How long have you been home?"

"15 minutes."

Jughead rubbed his neck again, unnerved by how quickly FP answered, hoping he wasn't lying just to save face. 

"Jugs, once your mom is home...she won't be as lenient about, uh...guests..."

"I know."

"When you're outside these walls, well, what you do with your time is your business, but in here..." FP struggled to find the rest of the words.

"I get it." Jughead interjected.

"Open door policy?"

"Sure thing, Dad," Jughead said as he passed the older Jones on rout back to his bedroom. 

FP gave him a playful shove on the way past, chuckling when his son scoffed lightly and shook his head 'no'

"Hitting the sheets early, kid?" FP roused. "-rough day?"

"Goodnight Dad," Jughead replied, ignoring his fathers' joking tone.

Jughead let himself back into his bedroom, discarding his beanie before peeling his clothes off again. 

Clad now in only his boxers he slid back under his covers, Betty's sweet smell still clinging to his bedsheets, making his cock twitch at the scent tied so closely to his memories.

He took her most recent journal from the pile next to him, flipping to the spot he had left off the night before. 

Jughead had noticed her pattern of second-guessing herself early on, and also noted how confusing he himself must have been to her. After everything they had gone through, had he just been honest, he could have spared each of them so much heartache. He was just so worried about losing her, keeping his loaded secret for years was better than being without her.

And when he remembered nights like the meteor shower, or the night at the Twilight, the awful night of his birthday, or when he came across entries like the one she wrote after Cheryl's first party, her words would showcase the fact that she saw through everyone's bullshit, even further:

 

~  
Dear Diary:

 

What a horrible couple of days. Last night was just so awful.

First school dance and already this new friendship with Veronica is proving to be drama ridden...

Alice says that Archie and Veronica's have shown their true colours this weekend, but I don't know. I don't feel like either of them did what they did internationally.

I mean, I saw how Archie looked at Veronica at Pop's. When she walked through those doors it was as though I didn't even exist. How could I have thought the outcome would have been any different then it was?

I feel like I don't even know Archie anymore, something is going on with him, and it feels completely and utterly off.

On a semi-positive note, I called on Jughead in my time of need, and of course, he didn't disappoint. I called him, bawling and making zero sense and he still showed up to comfort me. 

He reminded me what a loser Archie could be. 

He made me laugh, just like old times. 

Called me by my nickname, just like old times.

And made me feel a little less crazy, and a lot more myself, just like old times.

We have drifted apart over the past year but I can't shake this feeling that Jughead is hiding something from me. I hope he'll confide in me, I miss him and want us all to be close again. But now that I've made such a mess of everything I don't know if we ever can be. 

Why did I let Veronica talk me into going to that stupid party?! 

I should have stayed home like I normally would. 

School tomorrow is going to be super awkward, I don't know how I'm going to handle it yet. 

I have been thinking of reviving the Blue and Gold though, which would help distract me and provide a platform to investigate Jason's murder. Maybe Jughead will help me?

 

Until next time,  
Betty.  
~

 

Jughead's guilt for prolonging their (specifically her) suffering had turned into a new found determination, to never let her second guess him, his love or his devotion ever again. 

He shut her pages and killed the lights, before drifting into a much-needed sleep.

 

~~~

 

Betty pulled into the dimly lit garage. She parked Alice's car exactly as she found it and snuck quietly inside. 

She stealthily crept up the stairs, hearing the soft T.V playing in Polly's room, but hearing nothing else in the quiet household. She let herself into her room with a heavy sigh. 

She took Jughead's clothes off before slipping out of her Cheerleading uniform. In nothing but her panties now, she slipped his sweatshirt over her body again, pulling the soft neckline up to her nose. She inhaled deeply, happy to find that the fabric smelt just like him. 

Betty sighed, thinking about how thrown off and fumbling Jughead had been that night, finding it rousingly endearing as she slid under her bedcovers. With a welcome tingling building at her center, she replayed the night in her vivid imagination, her memories turning into dreams as she drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the read!
> 
> Don't be shy, leave me a comment, let me know what you think!


	6. Chapter 6

Betty's bold and grand gesture had landed her 2 weeks worth of house arrest. Though she was able to sneak back into the house undetected, her absence was noted, along with Alice's missing car. Her mother had burst into her bedroom at an ungodly and early hour, waving the vague note that Betty left in her absence in the air, scolding her daughter for her irresponsible behavior the night before. And so she was officially grounded, only being allowed out of the house for school activities. Alice took her phone and had the whole house on serious lockdown.

Betty swears that Alice believes her story of having to rush to Veronica side to help her deal with family issues and in her haste to leave she had forgotten her phone. But, Jughead wasn't so sure. He now felt the icy sting if Alice's judgmental gaze, and she already had a chip on her shoulder, untrusting of anyone coming close to her daughters. The woman could barely be trusted, and she was wicked smart. 

They both agreed to keep the actual details of why she was grounded under wraps as Betty specifically wanted to 'keep the experience for just them'. So she had asked Veronica to help maintain her alibi and asked her not to question her any further on the matter. And though the raven-haired beauty accepted, the mystery of it all had her guessing wildly to which Jughead's Hitchcock blonde would shrug, 'maybe I'll tell you, one day...'

Still, Betty and Jughead made the best of the time they had at school, though it provided zero alone time. Alice was at RHS every day of the school week overseeing the Blue and Gold, so secret rendezvous were still completely out of the question. Alice even went as far as to drive Betty to and from school every day and took her to all her extracurriculars. Though seeing Betty almost daily was a bonus, it was also a cruel joke, having her so close, yet so far. The gentle touches and public appropriate displays of affection were almost a tease, a daily and constant reminder of their lack of quality 1 on 1 time.

With his solitude Jughead had read through the rest of her diaries, still making notes next to her pages, as he anxiously waited to have her physically close again. He missed her, he missed talking with just her, he missed every detail of her, missed being alone with her, and missed everything about their physical relationship.

 

~~~

 

It was early March now, and Jughead sat idly at his desk having just finished up an article he was working on for the Blue and Gold when his phone rang, an unknown number popping up on the screen.

"Hello?"

"Juggie, it's me!" Betty said greeted eagerly. 

"Hey, you!" Jughead answered. 

He couldn't help but allow the light and giddy inflection in his is voice slip. He had hoped to hear from her that night and was fully prepared to meet her whenever, wherever.

"I have exciting news!"

"I know! You're a free woman!"

"Not only that, but Polly had her twins yesterday morning! I'm an auntie!"

"Betty! That's amazing, congratulations! Tell Polly I say so too"

It was the weekend Betty's sentence was up, and Polly had gone into labour on Friday, giving birth to 2 healthy babies the very next morning. She had been consumed by Polly's needs over the past few days, and being forced to stay at home prior kept her focus almost completely on her Big Sister. The whole birthing process was a whirlwind of emotion, and she had never experienced a more vigorous amount of tension and excitement in her entire life.

But now, since the twins were born and life for Polly seemed to be falling into a natural matronly zone, Betty was finding herself falling back into a pattern of longing that needed to be addressed, immediately. She missed Jughead, almost desperately. She slept in his clothing, creeped him through the little Internet she was allowed, flipped through every single picture she had of him in physical and digital forms, re-read almost all of his journals. God, she felt like a fiend, her thoughts consumed by perversion, just toeing the line of complete indecency. And now that her mind wasn't completely consumed by Polly's and the twins needs, Betty needed to take care of her own.

"Do you want to come meet me? You could meet the babies too if you wanted?" Betty said hopefully, "-I'd like to see you tonight, regardless." She finished, her tone dropping just slightly, but enough to send a shiver down his spine. 

"I'd like that," Jughead mumbled "- is your mom there?" He asked warily. 

"No, they sent her home because she too has been here since the start. I think the nurses were getting sick of her relentless questions, so they diplomatically removed her for the night."

Jughead breathed a slight sigh of relief, accompanied by a burst of overwhelming excitement. No Alice meant he would have Betty all to himself, a need that he had been significantly struggling with over the last few of days, wanting desperately for it to be just the 2 of them again. The 5 days they had spent apart between Christmas and New Years was nothing compared to the excruciating distance her 2-week jail sentence had created. 

The time they spent apart solidified his need to remind her that every second counted, every minute was an opportunity, every moment a building block to something even better. It seemed that no matter the duration, being without her was swiftly becoming his least favourite thing, and something that he couldn't even begin to stand

"Don't worry, it's just Polly and I. I'm staying until visiting hours are over, which is a few hours from now. Polly and the babies are just resting at the moment, they get to come home in a couple days"

"Ok. I'll be there in 30" He replied lightly.

Betty hung up the phone with a smile and sighed, glancing over to her sleeping niece and nephew. Polly had taken the quiet the opportunity to catch up on some much-needed rest too, ensuring that her younger sister could leave whenever she needed or wanted to. 

But Betty waved her sister off, "I'll stay, tend to the little ones if they wake up, so you can rest as long as possible. Besides, Jug is going to come get me soon anyway."

As the rest of her clan slept, Betty sat near the window watching the crisp Sunday afternoon. The courtyard and grounds had started to take on spring, the subtle green colour returning to the surrounding foliage bit by frosty bit. She took Jughead's journal from her bag and relaxed back, resuming her place between the pages. Though all of his journals held deep-rooted secrets and confessions, his most recent one (her favourite) was still her go to, and if Jughead had asked, she was sure she could recite the whole thing to him verbatim.

 

~  
Archie has to be the biggest idiot...ever...

Betty Cooper, the most amazing human in Riverdale (possibly the world) wants him, and he turns her down?! For the new girl?!! 

Is he delusional?

Did I step into a different dimension?!

After all these years? After all the flirting and drawing Betty in?! What's the matter with him? 

Big red headed idiot...

But...I'm not much better, I don't even have the guts to tell her how I feel so...I guess we're both idiots...

Tonight wouldn't have been the right time to tell her anyway, fuck did I want to...she sat so close, felt so warm...smelt so good...

...fuck...

At least we're still friends, and I really am glad that she called me.

I have to tell her though, it might take me for fucking ever...but I have to do it...I have to...this is getting out of hand.

I am of 2 minds still,

#1-Stop the fucking self-pity party and do something about it you god damn fool!

And,

#2-If she doesn't feel the same about you, you could lose her forever...

So, which would you rather, bud? A life of longing or a life without her?  
~

 

The black ink on every one of his pages reminded her, page by page that his love shines bright, from beginning to end and everywhere in between, in the most wonderfully unwavering way possible. Though she was often saddened by his lack of faith in her ability to love him back of the past, she knew what it felt like to be unsure and she was delighted equally by his confidence in her love now.

 

~~~

 

Jughead rounded the corner into the maternity ward of Riverdale General, making a quick b-line for the brightly lit nurses' station. The pretty brunette sitting behind the desk greeted him kindly, her eyes widening at the tray of goodies in his hands.

"Well aren't you clever," She said with a wink, bumping her shoulder into her coworker, who looked up from charting, eyes wide, "-so you brought enough for everyone then?" The brunette joked.

Jughead smiled politely and shrugged "Sorry ladies, maybe next time?" He bantered back quickly "-I'm looking for Polly Cooper?"

"Room 313" The nurse replied.

He smiled his thanks, turning and making his way down the hall. He tapped his knuckles lightly on Room 313.

Betty quietly swung the door open, grinning wide. 

"Hi" She whispered affectionately.

Jughead saw her shoulders relax and her eyes soften as she took him in. He stood unmoving a moment before rocking back on his heels slightly.

"I wasn't sure if Polly was allowed outside food, but I brought milkshakes" He greeted with a smile, hoisting the tray up slightly as he watched her intently. She looked tired but happy. And was still, as always, tragically beautiful. 

Betty grinned wider, in silent disbelief of the small thoughtful gesture. She took the tray from him and set it on the rolling table just inside the door. She stepped into the threshold, cupping his strong jaw in her hands, as she came closer

"You are the best boyfriend."

Jughead shrugged with a shy smile as he stepped into her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled her through the doorway and into the quiet hall as Betty threw her arms around his neck. He dipped his head down pressing his lips softly to hers, before sinking into her kiss and smoothing his tongue slowly around with hers. Betty felt him curl his fingers into the hem of her sweater, as he pulled her flush against himself. She nipped at his bottom lip with her teeth with a whine as he pulled away from her kiss.

"Hi..." He said lowly, pressing his forehead to hers.

"I'm glad you came"

"Of course, shall we?" He nodded over her shoulder in the open door. 

Not that he was eager to get this over with, but the sooner they were inside, the sooner he could have her alone, and he wasn't ashamed to admit it. But she was still a mind reader, and a sly smirk tugged at her lips, that twinkle of desire gracing her beautiful green eyes as she nodded in agreement.

"Sure" She chirped, kissing him lightly on the cheek before letting her grip go. He reluctantly did the same as she grabbed him by the hand. She tugged him into Polly's room and grabbed the shakes on the way past.

"Poll, look what Jug brought!"

"Oh my god, Jughead! Thank you so much!" Polly gushed as Betty handed her a milkshake.

"You're welcome, I remember you like strawberry?"

"My favourite. Thank you." She praised diving into the sweet treat.

Betty took Jughead's hand again, grazing her thumb over his knuckles as they stood admiring the small newborns.

"Meet June Elizabeth and Theodore Jason Blossom," Polly said gesturing to the 2 bassinets next to her. 

"Holy shit..." Jughead mumbled "-they're so little..." 

"Do you want to hold one?" Betty asked gently. 

Jughead panicked, immediately shaking his head 'no' as he watched Betty scoop the baby into her arms carefully, looking extremely comfortable and confident while she held the tiny child. He felt his heart clench up at the empyrean scene in front of him, his stomach doing summersaults as Betty turned to face him a soft smile tugging at her lips.

"The last baby I held was JellyBean, I forgot how small they are" He confessed with worry as he instinctively held his arms out to take the small bundle from Betty's hands.

"I'm sure you're a natural, just remember to stabilize the neck" Polly coached from her hospital bed, savouring the first few slurps of her strawberry shake.

"Which one do I have?"

"That's June."

"We've been calling her JuneBug" Betty confessed with a smile, holding onto his elbows gently as he adjusted his grip on the swaddled babe. 

Jughead looked up to Betty, grinning at the small similarity between his JB and the brand new one in his arms. 

She watched an extremely focused Jughead delicately cradled the back of the tiny infants head in his large hand, catching the soft disbelief that crossed his face as the wee creature stretched and yawned in his arms. 

"And this is Theodore." Betty said, now scooping her sleeping nephew up gently "-Polly wants us to call him TJ, but I've been calling him TeddyBear" Betty admitted quietly. 

"These babies are already so lucky, Betts," Jughead said softly.

"Why do you say that?" She asked as she swayed slowly next to him, admiring her tiny new family member.

"Being loved by an amazing mom, and an equally amazing auntie" Jughead confessed quietly.

"Godmother" Polly clarified with a smile. 

Jughead laughed lightly which caused the baby is his arms to wiggle and murmur slightly. His eyes shot back to the precious cargo in hand and he immediately mimicked Betty's swaying movements, pacifying the infant slowly. Once he was satisfied with his gentle work he looked back up to catch both Cooper sisters smiling wistfully at him.

His eyes went wide, "What?" 

"Nothing." Betty smiled.

"What?!" He asked in a more hushed tone.

"Nothing!" The blondes' assured in unison.

"Seriously, did I mess something up?" He asked looking down to make sure that he had all the blankets. Did he drop something? Or was foot sticking out or something?

"Not at all." Polly said warmly "-you really are a natural."

"I was 6 when JellyBean was born, so I remember the basics." He said quietly, keeping his eyes on Betty's. "-They like being lulled. I think we all do" He joked lightly.

 

~~~

 

They stayed with Polly for another 30 minutes or so enjoying their shakes and friendly conversation before it was feeding time once again. 

"We'll get out of your hair and let you feed these little monsters," Betty said affectionately.

"Thank you so much for the milkshake, Jug. It's the most thoughtful thing anyone has brought me yet!" Polly said gesturing to the hord of flowers, stuffies, and balloons near the window.

"No problem at all. I can't imagine living off the slop they serve here."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Poll" Betty finished, kissing her sisters cheek, followed but the head of tiny June in Polly's arms. She dipped her head into the bassinet next to Polly, laying a gentle kiss on baby TJ too.

 

~~~

 

Arm in arm they walked back to the truck, as Betty told Jughead the whole story of the twins dramatic entrance into the world. Of how she had stayed with Polly through all of it. How she got to cut the umbilical cords. How bat-shit crazy her mom had acted through the whole ordeal. She did, however, leave out the wailing, gory, and honest details of it all, to which he was eternally grateful.

Jughead dropped her arm to fetch out his keys. He unlocked and opened the passenger door before he made a quick jaunt to the other side. Betty unlocked the drivers' side door for him as he rounded the truck. He hopped in and quickly thrust the key into the ignition, turning the truck and heat on, moments before her lips came crashing into his. 

Betty kissed him with a wanton tenacity that had been intensified by their recent distance. Deep, hungry, and deliciously consuming.

"I missed you so much" She muttered against his lips before fusing them together again, pulling at him forcefully by two handfuls of thick red plaid. "-I've missed this." She moaned.

Jughead growled back as he met her fevered movements with his own, coiling his tongue eagerly with hers, cupping her cheek in one hand, the other slipping across the band of skin that her coat and sweater revealed on her back.

Betty pulled herself closer to him, attempting to come up onto her knees or straddle him or something, fumbling to feel his body close to hers. She threw her leg awkwardly over his lap, as her hip bumped into the steering wheel, honking the horn abruptly.

"Hold on! We're in a parking lot!" 

"So?" She giggled coquettishly, trying to squeeze into the small space between his body and the steering wheel.

"Betts, let's go somewhere less...here" Jughead groaned as she kissed and bit down the side of his neck, pulling at his collar and trying to push his jacket off his shoulders. 

"Since when are you the voice of reason?" She breathed impatiently before dragging her teeth across his skin as she moved back up the slope of his neck.

"You can't be comfortable..." He argued, holding back another moan as she pulled his earlobe in between her lips "-besides that, anyone, literally anyone, could look over and see you naked. Let me drive us somewhere...else" He mumbled pleadingly.

"Fine," She huffed "-Drive fast."

Jughead wasted no time as he nodded for her to buckle up. She did, quickly scooching back into the passenger seat and buckling in. He already had the truck in gear, waiting for the tell-tale click before he drove them to the outer reaches of Riverdale.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~~
> 
> I've had most of this chapter written from the start but couldn't for the life of me name Polly's twins. It's a lot of pressure, you guys! I hope I did them justice :)
> 
> Please let me know what you think!! 
> 
> Any and all comments are welcome, and all will get a reply!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~~
> 
> A big fat smutty finale...
> 
> Please remember the stamina of youth while reading this chapter.
> 
> Hope you enjoy ;)
> 
> ~~~
> 
> Musical Mention:
> 
> "The Nights: Nights In White Satin" by The Moody Blues.
> 
> "Baby, I love your way" by Peter Frampton.
> 
> ~~~

The normally 25-minute journey took them less than 15 as they arrived at Rockland County look-out, or as close to as the slowly departing snow would allow them access. They parked just at sunset, the lights of Riverdale and Greendale below twinkling in the twilight. The idyllic snow-dusted trees of Fox Forest crept in on all sides, secluding them even further, as the soft tunes of an old-school mixtape filled the trucks' interior:

 

"~Nights in white satin,  
Never reaching the end.  
Letters I've written,  
Never meaning to send.

Beauty I've always missed,  
With these eyes before.  
Just what the truth is,  
I can't say any more.

But I love you,  
Yes, I love you,  
Oh, how I love you. ~"

 

Jughead set the parking brake and killed the engine, the battery power keeping the soft music flowing and the green hue of the AM/FM radio illuminated. He unlatched his seatbelt and moved into the middle seat, his hooded eyes stalking over Betty as he did so. She fumbled with her own latch, her hands almost trembling in anticipation, her heart racing. She couldn't look away, her eyes fixed to his deep blues as he loomed over her.

As soon as the click released her, Jughead had her by the lapels of her coat, pulling her to his lips, kissing her firmly. He ardently undid the buttons on her jacket and pushed it off her shoulders, before briefly releasing her to remove his own coat. With one bulky layer removed he guided Betty back onto his lap again, kissing her passionately, slipping his tongue past her yielding lips and coiling it with his own, wrestling in a warm tug of war. 

Jughead's hands settled on the flair of Betty's hips as she kissed him eagerly, shamelessly grinding against his lap, as the rough friction intensified their exchange. He moved his hands up under her shirt, trailing his fingers over her ribs, back and stomach hungrily, grabbing and pulling at every possible inch of skin.

"God, I missed you..." She whined against him. 

Nodding absently he palmed over her breasts in reply, before cupping them both fervidly, and running his fingers over her already taught peaks, her soft lace bra doing little to conceal her excitement.

"I missed you too, Betts" He mumbled back, delirious from her proximity and her warm familiar body under his touch again.

"I shouldn't have taken her car," She confessed through a moan as he continued to roll her sensitive peaks through the thin lace of her bra. Betty ground her hips down against again him with a deep moan, her head spinning with excitement. "-but it was worth it"

"So worth it," Jughead said quickly, dropping his hands to the waistline of her jeans. He popped the button and pushed the zipper down, his lips finding hers again, pulling at her playfully with his teeth, nipping and sucking at her plump mouth.

"I should have thought it through" Betty reasoned before kissing him again, forcing her fingers into his hair, his beanie tumbling carelessly beside them as she scraped her nails lightly across his scalp.

Groaning, he replied lowly, "Hindsight is always 20/20" 

Jughead kissed across her jaw and down her neck, hooking his fingers in the waistline if her underwear. He then traced the delicate elastic around to her hipbones, teasing her with his now feather-light touch.

"I should have planned better" Betty murmured, her hips moving towards his hands.

"The best moments are unplanned," Jughead said suggestively, capturing her lips once again, and running his lips along with hers smoothly, tasting her every inch, breathing her every breath, feeling completely and utterly pulled into her current, willing and happy to be pulled under.

"I'll just have to be sneakier next time"

"I agree, 2 weeks is a long time," He said with playful lament, running his fingers up the thick jean stitching in between her legs as he spoke.

"Y-Yes..." She breathed as she felt him begin to knead his hand against her, meeting every sway of her hips.

"I barely survived" 

"I know..." She gasped when Jughead hooked his finger in the open zipper of her jeans, pulling her forward playfully and kissing her soundly again.

"I nearly perished" He groaned into he lips and he pressed his knuckles against her pleasure point on his way out of her pants, sending a visible shiver through her whole body as she careened towards his touch.

"My poor baby" Betty teased through another shaky breath. 

He growled again, the rare use of an uncommon pet-name sounded more like a moan than a word rolling off her tongue like that. He brought his hands up to the hem of her sweater and grabbed the soft blue threads. He pulled the fine-spun wool up and off, his knuckles hitting the roof above them with a loud thud.

Jughead held back a laugh causing Betty to chuckled lightly as she pawed at his dark green long sleeve. He relieved himself of the unwanted fabrics, ducking out of them carefully before Betty's hands were fused to the hard plains of his chest, trailing them smoothly up to his shoulders and across to the back of his neck. His hands immediately went to the clasp of her bra and quickly unfastened it. He let the fabric hang free from her body, both breathing out a simultaneous moan when he dipped his hands under the soft cups to grope her urgently. 

"Having your journals helped," He confessed into the slope of her neck, now exposed to him by Betty's head dropping back in pleasure. "-but this is so much better" He continued gruffly kissing down her soft column and down to her chest. 

Jughead pulled her bra straps down and off her body, the delicate lace falling away from her smooth skin. With a breathy moan, she angled herself back slightly on his lap as his lips and tongue swept lazily across her nipples, each in turn. Watching her, he pulled his teeth across each bud gently, erupting loud moans from the blonde as she grabbed ahold of his biceps. 

He was hungry, forceful and demanding, which were all some of her favourite versions of Jughead. Versions that had clearly been caught off guard the last time they were together. But tonight, he knew what he wanted and was taking exactly that. She couldn't get enough of him when he was assertive and dominating. Since that first night, in the middle of Cheryl's party, perched on the kitchen island, when he yanked her towards himself and teased her to the point of bursting, and caring not for prying eyes, she'd been increasingly captivated by his dominant side, and found herself missing it more than she thought she would.

Jughead's determination or rather his dedication did not go unnoticed, by either party tonight. She loved that he never treated her like she was breakable, or treated her like some soft, fragile and meek creature. And when he was ravenous like this, driven by his need for her, when he would bite her harder than usual, or when she would claw and grab at him, or yank his hair aggressively and the pain would simply flicker into pleasure behind his blue irises, Betty felt the best version of herself. Raw, primal, bare, consumed...complete.

"Jug...please..." Betty moaned softly, rocking herself against his stiff bulge, desperate for more friction, aching for some kind of release. 

"Please what?" Jughead asked smugly, continuing his tongue's languid but precise assault of her hard peeks. He thrust his hips up as he spoke, groaning when he was met with a slow swirl from her hips back down on his lap.

"Baby...please...don't make me beg..."

There it was again, that rare and uncommon pet-name that was suddenly music to his ears. He felt the last remaining blood from his cognitive brain flow south at the desperate tone that little 4 letter word took on. Without thinking he replied:

"I might" 

He then brought his lips back to hers, reeling from her whiny, pleading moan he trapped between their lips as they kissed. 

"Juggie..." She whispered against him, feeling his hands slip slowly up her thighs again, his thumbs running up along the center seam of her jeans. 

"Is this where you want me?" He asked through another shaky breath as he dipped his thumb past her underwear and into the slick valley between them, applying pressure to her soft bundle of nerves. She moaned in delight, arching herself towards his digits. 

"God, Yes..." She pleaded quietly, her breath catching in her throat on the way out. 

Jughead swirled his thumb casually around her pleasure point, drinking in the vision above him, watching her pant and writhe under his touch again. Watching Betty come unhinged like this was quite literally the best thing he'd ever seen, and would likely be the best thing he would ever get to do. She left everything at the door when they were together, and nothing seemed to catch her by surprise anymore. Betty was open, fluid and present and she trusted him more than anyone, with everything, and she proved that to him every single time they made love. Though he wasn't sure what it was like for other people, for him, for them, being intimate always felt like tangible promises. A physical communication of devotion. And some nights, like tonight, he felt the all-consuming need to show her, with every movement, with every breath his loyal need for her.

"Off" He commanded, slipping his hand out of her seductive heat abruptly and pulling at the open waistline of her pants. He kissed her passionately again before she had a chance to respond or move, muffling her frustrated groan.

Betty pried herself away from his lips and sat back into the passenger seat. She shimmied out of her jeans and underwear quickly, kicking them off playfully when they got tangled up in her boots.

"Don't just sit there, Jones. Lose the pants" Betty teased, catching Jughead ogling at her naked skin, the stereo light leaving an almost eerie glow across them. 

He followed her command, kicking off his boots first, and simultaneously undoing his pants. He shifted out of his bottoms, shamelessly springing to attention as he discarded the heavy threads. Their combined breath and warm bodies had fogged up the truck glass, leaving the interior air packed with a thick, heady energy culminating quickly to a charged release as he grabbed her by the hips again, and yanked her back to straddle his lap. 

Now nothing lay between them. No distance. No time. No barriers. No boundaries.

Nothing. 

Jughead's gaze roamed over her, his hands moving up her back, across her ribs, and up to cup both breasts fervidly as Betty moved into him, keeping his length pinned between their bodies, her slick heat sliding across him, and nearly unraveling him right then and there as she moaned his name. Her hands went into his hair again, as he kissed her roughly. Keeping her attentive lips moving with his she rolled her hips against him, pressing her pleasure bundle to his pulsing tip with a synchronized moan and shutter. She drew her hips away from his, as she felt him aline himself with her center. He then pushed her hips down quickly, entering her in one smooth thrust.

Betty screamed in delight at the sudden expansion, before her lips fell on his again, kissing him erotically as she sank down lower. Taking his length in deeper, she began a slow pulsing rhythm above him, holding onto his hair tightly all while kissing him hungrily.

Jughead gripped her hips, his nails leaving angry half moon imprints in her skin, pushing and pulling her in tandem to her already smooth cadence. He felt Betty grind herself against his pelvis on each decent now, an action that pushed and challenged them to keep up this daring pace.

"Fuck, Betty...you're...you feel..." He trailed off, groaning deeply as she replied:

"Am-Amazing?" She mumbled coyly.

He kissed her soundly again, pushing himself in deeper, harder and driving himself into the hilt, finally feeling the utter fulfillment that only came from being inside her. He felt her pace falter and her breathing quicken as she coiled her tongue ravenously with his, her fingers still buried deep in his hair, pulling at him forcefully.

"-y-yes, Juggie....I'm cumming..." 

Jughead's eyes went wide. He always loved it when she was vocal, the louder the better, he thought. But when her normally ethereal voice took on a deeper tone and said things like that, or literally anything, he could barely handle it. He felt the tight coil within himself threatening release as he steadied their rhythm, slowing down to an almost crawl, the overwhelming sensation unraveling Betty completely. Leaving open mouth kisses in his wake he moaned against the crook of her neck as she shattered around him, quivering through his methodical pace, mumbling her approval through gasps of his name. He brought his hand up to cup her breast before resting it on her shoulder, his fingers wrapping possessively around the back of her neck, in a selfish attempt to keep her steady as he chased his own release. 

Milliseconds later her thrumming internal muscles pulled his climax out from deep within his core. He fell over the edge, moaning her name pleadingly against the shell of her ear, and pulling her impossibly closer until every warm inch of her skin was fused to his. Betty held onto him as tightly as she could while he rode his wave, her fingers still thread tightly through his unruly dark curls. She pulled his lips to hers, sealing the aftershocks of his release with her kiss. Jughead returned her vigor, messaging their tongues together sensually, lazily kissing her, enjoying the unhurried nature of this post-bliss intimacy. 

His fingers slipped into her hairline as they kissed and he pulled her elastic from her golden locks. He carded his fingers through the thick honey waves before inching his hands slowly down her entire body, tracing every line, following every bend, remembering and memorizing every curve while still buried deep inside her. He settled his hands on the warm skin of her thighs again and pulled away from her lips only slightly. He brushed his nose gently against hers before leisurely trailing his lips across her jaw and kissing up to her ear. He licked his thumb and slipped his hand in between their bodies. Finding her soft ultra sensitive bundle of nerves and rolling slow circles over it, he pulled at the shell of her ear with his teeth as her body fluttered.

"Again." Jughead commanded lowly. 

Betty's head dropped back, a half cry spilling from parted lips, the combination of his hardening length inside her and his thumb against her clit, with his breath in her ear, and his teeth on her skin claimed her last remaining focus as she lost concentration and most of her muscle memory.

"J-Juggie..." Betty whined through another laboured moan, her thighs shaking as she rocked unevenly against him, still having not fully recovered from her previous undoing.

He held onto the thick side of her thigh as his hips raised up to meet her before drawing back again slowly. He repeated the process, her silky grip pulsing around him, stiffening him and coaxing him towards yet another climactic release. He helped guide her movements, keeping his thumb moving at a rhythmic tempo, while watching her eyes roll back in pleasure, her long lashes flutter, and listening to the moans of his name teeming from deep within her chest.

"You feel so fucking incredible..." He mumbled earnestly, catching her lips again before she could mumble a reply. 

She panted into his mouth and nodded absently, reeling and falling further into the dark welcoming pit of their desires. She gripped her fingers on his hair tighter and guided her other hand to his shoulder, tugging and pulling at him, digging her nails in feeling the hot building pressure pleading her to let go, begging to fall off the edge.

"I'm close..." Betty groaned, kissing him again. 

Her mouth fell open and stilled against his, her body trembling. Jughead groaned her name as his approval, while he picked up his increasingly frantic, hard and almost greedy pace. He bore into her now, pushing himself in deeper with every hard thrust upward.

"Cum for me..." He growled, moving his thumb tenaciously while listening to her near screams of affirmation as he pushed her right to the edge. He brought his lips to her neck again kissing and licking down the slender slope before biting her shoulder, hard.

The sudden pain and his deep command pushed Betty over the edge as she came, stars exploding behind her eyes while her hot feminine grip tightened around him. Her head dropped back, chest arching forward while she trembled through her powerful release. The alluring display and the overwhelming sensation pulled Jughead's climax out from his center, right alongside hers, his teeth digging into her skin her as he came.

Jughead relaxed, moving both arms around her waist in a tight embrace, sinking into the feeling of her arms wrapping around his neck, and her fingers sweeping gently through his hair again. He kissed up the inside of her neck and pulled back slightly to look at her. 

"Wow." He breathed simply.

"Another first." Betty mused.

"Which part?" He asked with breathless sarcasm.

"Most of it." She countered, bringing her hands in to cup either side of his face, pulling him into a slow languorous kiss. 

Jughead hummed into her, his fingers slipping into her hair again as he angled her head towards his lips.

"I love you so much..." He confessed honestly.

"I love you too, Juggie"

"How long until it's just us?" He asked in almost a whisper.

"100 days or so?"

"God, I love that big ol'brain of yours"

Betty giggled lightly as she moved off his lap and back into the passenger seat. She pushed her hair back with a deep sigh, trying to catch her breath. She moved to gather their clothing, passing him his effects as she came across them. Taking the items he sat back and admired Betty's silent struggle to get dressed within the confined space. 

"No one talks about how awkward it is to get dressed after car sex" She confessed as she pulled her sweater awkwardly over her head, as though she blindly knew what he was thinking, yet again.

"There has to be a better way," Jughead said lightly.

"I'll just have to wear a skirt next time" Betty replied seductively. 

Pulling his pants and shirt back on Jughead cocked an eyebrow and returned her mischievous smile "Next time, huh?"

"Naturally, you had a good time, right?" She said facetiously.

"Meh, It was ok." He countered back sarcastically.

Betty's mouth dropped into mock shock as she swatted at him playfully with the back of her hand. He caught her mid swipe and brought her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles affectionately. 

He knew from the tender look in her eyes that she understood he was teasing, and he loved what they had just done, more than breathing, sleeping or eating.

Once Betty was satisfied with the readjustment of her clothing she looked back to see his stormy blue eyes fixated on her. She smiled back while he held his arms out to her. She slid in next to him, curling into his side like they were on his couch, or better yet, parked at the Twilight. It had definitely been a thought, or rather, fantasy that crossed her mind from time to time. She had never experienced that 'passionate make-out' at the Drive-In moment. She knew this to be true for Jughead as well and a little bit of her heart ached for all those missed opportunities. But, here, now, in honest moments like this were opportunities that she had to take clear advantage of. The classic tunes of the well-used (possibly stuck) mixtape still filtered through the speakers as they sat, quietly enjoying their solitude, immersed in the solace of each other.

 

"~Shadows grow so long before my eyes,  
And they're moving across the page.

Suddenly the day turns into night,  
Far away from the city.  
Don't hesitate,  
'Cause your love won't wait.

Oh, baby, I love your way,  
Wanna tell you I love your way,  
Wanna be with you night and day.~"

 

"Do you ever think about it?" She asked as she scooched further under his arm.

"Think about what?" He asked, his voice smooth with sleepy contentment, but still with a hint of interest.

"About having kids? Being a dad?"

"Kinda? I never really thought that I'd be any good at it," Jughead replied honestly. "-You know, growing up, I didn't have a 'normal' home life, and after taking care of a kid while you're still a kid kinda made me think that I didn't want to do that again? Being responsible for another life is a lot of work." He continued as he squeezed his arm around her. He weaved his fingers with hers as they sat quietly a moment.

"Do you want kids?" Jughead asked simply. 

Betty shifted into him more, nuzzling into his neckline, her cheek pressed to his collarbone. 

"I thought I did when I was little. And I know that's what you're supposed to want." She took a deep breath, pondering his question a moment "-As the youngest I don't really know what having kids is all about and babysitting doesn't really count. I do know that it changes a lot of things. Everything really." Betty paused, "- I guess I'll get some first-hand experience on 'life with kids' over the next few months." She sat quietly a moment before she looked up to catch his clear blue gaze. "-I think it'd be nice to have family"

"Someone to help take care of us when we're old?" Jughead suggested.

"More like someone to pawn your chores off on." She countered lightly.

"Sculpt a young mind?" 

"Screw them up desperately?" 

"Ahhh, parents." He joked.

"We can't do any worse than our parents did."

He smiled and nodded before leaning down and pressing his lips softly to hers, pulling her by the hand towards his body until she hooked her fingers behind his neck.

"I think maybe one day, I'd like to be a dad. You know, if I were to find the right woman" He finished facetiously, his hand cupping her jaw, his thumb tracing her bottom lip. She sank into his gentle touch, his use of 'small' words like 'us' and 'we' still sending shockwaves of warmth through her whole body. 

Betty chuckled lovingly, leaning in to kiss him tenderly before she replied: "I'm pretty sure you've already found her."

"I know I have."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~~
> 
> As always, thank you all so much for all the love.
> 
> Comments are wildly appreciated! So, Please don't hesitate!
> 
> ~~~


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